Boys volleyball: Buffalo Grove scores thrilling win over Fremd

After battling it out all night, it looked like visiting Fremd had Buffalo Grove on the ropes, leading 21-17 in the third set of a Mid-Suburban League boys volleyball match Tuesday night.

But the Bison never folded in the pressure-packed match as they outscored the Vikings 8-2 down the stretch to pull out an exciting 25-23 crossover victory in the decisive set with a huge spike by senior Piotr Wymoczyl leading to a wild on-court celebration by Buffalo Grove (4-2).

Fremd (0-1) was playing its first match of the young 2022 season, and the Vikings fell behind 7-0 in the first set as Buffalo Grove's Dan Feder displayed some outstanding serving for the Bison.

Fremd was forced to play catch-up the whole way and the Vikings did manage to force a 23-23 deadlock behind some strong serving by senior Camden Seaver (14-for-17, 6 aces).

But Buffalo Grove was able to score the final two points of the first set for a 25-23 victory as a kill by Connor Dell clinched the win for the Bison.

Buffalo Grove also built a solid 12-6 lead in the second set, but Fremd was able to bounce back to capture a 25-22 victory as a spike by Aaron Sallade (9 kills) clinched the win for the Vikings.

"I thought there were many times in the match where we had the momentum, but we gave it back and we have to learn to keep it," said Fremd coach Curt Pinley. "I thought (Seaver) did a really nice job with his serve, and he had a really nice overall game."

Seaver had 9 kills overall, and his 3 service points gave Fremd a 21-17 lead in the third set. But a net serve gave the Bison a side out, and the Bison eventually tied the match at 23-23 on a service point by A.J. Ratzki.

A spike by Feder gave the hosts a 24-23 lead before the big kill by Wymoczyl put the finishing touches on the exciting Bison victory.

"I thought it was a really good game and our energy was high," said Wymoczyl. "I think it was super-fun, we kept talking, we had communication, and we knew who was going to take the ball."

Fremd's Marco Boscolo was 64-for-67 setting with 26 assists while teammate David Nora had 5 kills. Fremd's Chris Kim was 22-for-23 on serve receive with 5 digs while Sallade had 2 blocks.

"I knew Fremd would start getting in a rhythm which they did," said Buffalo Grove coach Tim Kosiek. "To their credit, we hung with it in the third set, and it was a great match for us to prepare for our side of the conference."

In the second set, 4 service points by Seaver turned a 14-11 deficit into a 15-14 lead as the Vikings would build a 22-18 lead on a service point by senior Luke Polcyn.

"We've been working a lot the last weekend minimizing errors," added Kosiek. "I told them don't play not to lose, but play to win."