Boys volleyball: Bartlett wins 4th straight U-46 title
Death, taxes and Bartlett winning the U-46 boys volleyball title seem to be certainties in 2022.
Winning for the fourth straight time, the Hawks went 4-0 in pool play capped by a hard-fought 25-21, 25-21 win over South Elgin on Saturday at Streamwood.
The event was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19.
The Hawks were 8-0 in games played with wins over Streamwood (25-14, 25-14), Elgin (25-15, 25-11) and Larkin (25-8, 25-13).
South Elgin, which was 2-2 in the tourney, played without starters Andrew Galanes and Michael Hankins.
"South Elgin is a tough team even without two starters," said Bartlett coach Robert Schwantz. "We would have considered it a failure if we wouldn't have won. We are excited to win this tournament. We have great chemistry on this team."
Senior setter Adarsh Patel spearheaded the Hawks' potent offensive attack with 28 assists.
"Our goal was to win this tournament," said Patel. "I have so many weapons to choose from. It is a great way to start the season."
The Hawks' balanced offensive attack included Jack Morrissey (8 kills), Spencer Medendorp (8 kills), Anthony Mapes (7 kills, 1 block) and Adam Koniecko (6 kills, 2 blocks).
"Adarsh runs the offense for us," said Schwantz. "He does a great job of getting the ball to our hitters."
Sean Harvey led the Storm with 14 kills, 3 blocks and an ace.
"We were down a couple of starters, but I liked the way we bounced back against Bartlett after the loss to Streamwood," said Storm coach Jesse Bossenga. "It wasn't the result we wanted but it was a good test for us."
The Storm (4-2) pushed the Hawks in both games.
In Game 1, trailing 17-16, Bartlett went on a pivotal 6-0 run to take a 22-17 advantage.
A kill by Koniecko gave the Hawks a 5-point cushion. A kill by Mapes insured Bartlett would take a 1-0 lead in the match.
With 5 lead changes in Game 2, the Hawks took the lead for good 18-17 on a kill by Mapes.
Bartlett's biggest lead was 24-19 on a kill by Medendorp. A kill by Harvey and an ace by Adrian Martinez climbed the Storm within 24-21, but they couldn't get any closer.
Bartlett won the game and the match on a service error by the Storm.