Boys volleyball: WW South making changes to annual invite
Wheaton Warrenville South boys volleyball coach Bill Schreier is getting ready to run the Tiger Classic Invitational in mid-April.
The prestigious tournament is set for its 18th season, filled with teams from throughout the Chicago area. The tournament, which starts on April 14, is an annual early-season test for many teams, but Schreier said the 2022 version underwent a few changes.
"This is the 18th year of the Tiger Classic and as usual it's a loaded tourney from top to bottom," Schreier said. "Illinois schools have stepped up and taken the place of some of the out-of-state schools that have been in this tourney previously. This is the first year we are running this outside of the week of spring break, so that's a change from the previous 17 tourneys.
"We have a whole host of the top teams in the state and are well represented on that one for sure. Numerous teams are ranked highly in the region, and even some in the nation. We should see some great competition once again from Barrington, Lincoln Way East, Plainfield North, Sandburg, St. Rita and defending state champion, Glenbrook North. There have been 16 total state championships won by teams in this tourney field."
The field includes local teams Addison Trail, Benet, Barrington, Glenbrook North, Lake Park, Metea Valley, Naperville Central, Neuqua Valley, Oswego, St. Charles North, St. Charles East, Wheaton North and host Wheaton Warrenville South.
The Tigers return four starters from last season, which includes senior setter Dylan Feely, senior middle hitter Ammar Brzovic, senior outside hitter Daniel Vlassov and junior middle hitter Evan Hutchins.
Schreier said he's hopeful for a strong showing from his team.
"Our team is doing OK as we adjust to each other," he said. "The difficulty for us is that the beginning of the season has all three levels in one gym for practice. Now that we're separating out into two gyms is when we will be able to really start to put the work in and get after things. We will be a much tougher team by the end of the season as compared to now, as we mix our youthful inexperience with our veteran core group."
Glenbard South improving:
Two weeks into the regular season, Glenbard South is already showing a marked improvement. The Raiders, who won just three matches last season, were anticipating a better showing after starting the program in 2021, especially with their entire starting lineup returning. Thus far, the Raiders (3-4) have exceeded expectations, according to coach Chad Grant.
"I feel pretty good about our first week of competition," Grant said. "We matched last season's win total already. We've played very competitively against some highly ranked teams. The combined records of the teams we lost to is 26-5. We need to do a better job at the start of matches, as we are consistently getting off to slow starts."
Grant said his team has received quality play from several players, including junior outside hitter Tristan Sounthala, who had 86 kills season.
"Our passing improved throughout the week, which is a key to us being successful," Grant said. "Tristan Sounthala has been very efficient offensively for us. He can terminate from all over the court. Jack Wilharm has been great blocking and had four big kills late in our win over Willowbrook. He brings a ton of energy to the court. Mike Hines does it all for this team. I feel like we always have a chance when he is on the court. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do in conference play. We have Bartlett and South Elgin in two of our first conference matches, so we will have to play well to compete with those teams."
Rams update:
Glenbard East entered the season with high expectations following a strong 2021 season. Four of the six starters are back, led by senior outside hitter Trevor Real. The Rams (4-2) opened the season with three straight victories before suffering losses to Vernon Hills and Loyola.
"The start of the season has been solid," Glenbard East coach Kelly Markworth said. "This team is capable of achieving a lot of success this season. We saw some glimpses of that against the two strong opponents we faced this past weekend at the Vernon Hills tournament. With training, our consistent aggressive play will improve and we will see more earned wins for this team.
"I expect this team to elevate their consistent aggressive game with each match we play. The team is deep and training hard has helped to grow their overall game. I'm excited to see what this group can achieve."
Markworth pointed to the strong showing early this season by Real, junior middle hitter Tyler Johnwick and senior setter Connor Soto.
"As expected, Trevor Real is a six-rotation standout," she said. "He's a leader on the team with 53 kills, a 2.42 passing percentage and 35 digs. His consistent aggressive play will lead this team throughout the season. Tyler Johnwick is leading the team with a .361 hitting percentage and 11 blocks. Connor Soto is leading the team with 128 assists and 11 aces. All three have had positive impacts on the team and their ability to win matches."