Boys volleyball: Hersey tips Geneva, repeats St. Charles East title
Entering Saturday's St. Charles East Invitational, Hersey's main objective was to repeat as tournament champions.
Mission accomplished.
The Huskies outlasted Geneva 25-23, 25-22 to win their second straight title.
With 5 wins, Hersey moves to a perfect 8-0 on the season.
"We had only played three matches entering today so it was good to get in five matches today," said Hersey coach Laura Gerber. "The kids played very well. It was good to play good teams and different teams. We can tell where we are at this part in the season.
"Everybody contributed. We beat a very good Geneva team to win the championship."
On a kill by Justin Arrowood, the Huskies opened up a 20-13 lead in Game 1.
The Vikings didn't quit.
On a block by Luke Koster, Geneva got within a point 23-22, but couldn't get any closer.
A kill by Connor Krebs gave the Huskies a 1-0 lead in the match.
Similar to Game 1, Geneva fell down early in Game 2. Hersey sprinted to a 16-9 lead after a kill by Krebs.
The Vikes responded with a 7-0 run keyed by 5 kills by Jack Mally and 2 from Koster. A kill by Mally tied the game at 16.
There were 3 lead changes before Hersey scored the final 3 points. The match-winner came on a kill by Arrowood.
Arrowood and Krebs led the tournament champs with 6 kills each.
"We wanted to repeat as champs," said Krebs. "I was just going on adrenaline in that last match. Geneva is a very good team."
Mally, with 21 kills and 4 blocks, was incredible in a losing effort.
"Jack was amazing," said Geneva coach Stephanie Hennig. "To be honest we played very well and never quit. We hung in there against a very good team."
In the semifinals, Mally had 18 kills as Geneva rallied for a 24-26, 25-15, 26-24 win over Plainfield South. Mally's kill in the decisive third game advanced to the Vikings to the title game.
Hersey advanced to the title game with a 25-16, 25-23 win over St. Charles East.
In the third-place match, Plainfield South defeated the host Saints 25-19, 25-19.
St. Charles East (2-10), which entered the tournament 0-7, defeated Elgin and Auburn in pool play before losing to Plainfield South.
"We are moving in the right direction," said St. Charles East coach Kate McCullaugh. "It was good to get some wins and get fourth place."