Boys volleyball: Stevenson on top after Day 1 of Lake County tournament
The first day of the 12-team Lake County boys volleyball tournament saw some great competition Thursday night at Grant as squads positioned themselves for numerous showdowns Saturday when the team champion will be crowned.
Stevenson (14-2) was the most dominant team of day one as the Patriots cruised past Lake Zurich 25-18, 25-9 before toppling the host Bulldogs 25-23, 25-18 to win Pool D.
Sam Nuudel had 12 kills to lead the Patriots over Grant (7-5) while Jason Lackhouse led the Bulldogs with 9 kills.
"Every match poses new challenges and Grant got very positive energy from their crew," said Stevenson coach Eric Goolish. "Sam has been effective, and when he controls the ball is when he is at his best."
Grant coach Marty Grum's team opened the competition with a 25-16, 25-20 win over Lake Zurich.
"I was impressed how disciplined they (Stevenson) were," Grum said. "Jason Lackhouse can end a bad rotation for us and get us going right again, and he's proved so much in three years."
Carmel Catholic (7-3) struggled to a three-set victory over Waukegan before defeating Lakes 25-22, 25-20 to take first place in Pool A. Carmel coach Kevin Nylen pointed to the play of Keelen Douglas and Dylan Franada on the attack as keys to the Corsairs' victory over Lakes.
"Both of our outsides (Douglas and Franada) had a mature match, and I think Lakes got frustrated with our blocks and digs," said Nylen. "Both Waukegan and Lakes were scrappy, and we have to play tough volleyball on Saturday."
Mundelein (8-4) struggled overall, but the Mustangs won three-set matches over Antioch and Grayslake North to win Pool C.
"We have a lot of talent, but we have a lot of ailments," said Mundelein coach George Dressen. "We're playing with limited rotations right now so hopefully when we get back to full rotations that will make a difference down the road."
Grayslake Central was the big surprise of the night as the Rams defeated Lake Forest 25-18, 20-25, 15-13 before toppling Deerfield 25-23, 25-17 to win Pool B.
Lakes dropped a tough 25-21, 25-20 match to Waukegan to open its competition while Antioch was the hard-luck team of the tournament losing three-set matches to both Mundelein and Grayslake North.
The Knights appeared to have Mundelein beat 25-23 for the set and match, but the Mustangs were able to stay alive and win the final two sets 27-25, 15-6 to take first place in their pool.
No. 2 teams playing in the quarterfinals at Grant Saturday at 9 a.m. are Grayslake North, Grant, Deerfield, and Waukegan with semifinals and finals in the Gold and Silver brackets scheduled for 10 and 11 a.m.
The Bronze bracket teams competing Saturday at Lakes will be the host Eagles, Antioch, Lake Zurich, and Lake Forest.