Boys volleyball: Bartlett closes in on UEC title

It's a big two weeks for the Bartlett volleyball team as the Hawks head into the homestretch with a shot at the Upstate Eight Conference title.

Bartlett took a big step in the right direction by handling Glenbard East, 25-14, 25-16, Tuesday in Bartlett. Next Tuesday, the Hawks host West Chicago, one of three teams to defeat Bartlett this year, before finishing the season at home against South Elgin. Winning one of the two matches would clinch at least a share of the crown.

Jacob Bush and Toiyon Walton each had 6 kills to lead a balanced attack for Bartlett (21-3 overall).

"We came into this match head-on saying we need this win because us two teams, we are in the front of the conference," Walton said. "So we circled this match on our calendar at the beginning of the season saying this match here is likely to determine who is going to be the conference champion."

Bartlett led 12-8 in the second set before reeling off a 9-2 run behind the serving of Burzlaff and Matt Tomasek. The Rams rallied briefly, fighting off two match points before the Hawks put it away.

"From a starting whistle to final whistle standpoint, this was the best volleyball they've played all season," said Bartlett coach Robert Schwantz. "They just didn't have an answer for us. We had so many weapons we could set to."

Glenbard East, meanwhile, was missing a couple of weapons, including 6-foot-5 hitter Carson Brandt. But Rams coach Marci Maier wasn't looking for excuses.

"We set over way too many free balls. Our serve and serve-receive broke down and we weren't able to get too much going offensively to get them out-of-system," she said. "They did a great job of keeping the momentum on their side. They outplayed us, and it was fun to watch them play tonight."

Carter Burzlaff, the 6-5 setter who is about to sign a letter of intent with Lewis University, was the Hawks' Swiss army knife. He had 4 aces, 3 kills and assisted on 22 more points.

Garrett Jurina and Josh Kramp added 4 kills apiece for the Hawks while Martin Radomski led the defense with 4 digs.

Kurt Csech was a force for Glenbard East, smacking 7 kills, including 5 in the early part of the second set to keep the Rams in it. Kameron Cummuta added 3 kills for the visitors.

Set 1 was also a back-and-forth affair early. Bartlett led just 7-6 at one point. Back-to-back aces by Burzlaff made it 14-8 and the Hawks, while not putting together any big runs, slowly pulled away.