Boys Volleyball Sectional: Minooka sweeps past Plainfield North
By Scott Ehling For Sun-Times Media May 26, 2012 12:18AM
Updated: July 3, 2012 10:31AM
Fifth verse, same as the first.
Minooka coach Janel Grzetich certainly was relieved the seasonlong song didn’t change its tune for her top-seeded Indians as they powered past Plainfield North 25-18, 25-18 on Friday night in the Romeoville Sectional.
“My nerves were getting the best of me all day long just because it’s the fifth time that we are playing against this team,” Grzetich said of Plainfield North. “They are an incredibly good team.”
Minooka (35-2) won all five meetings this season vs. North (23-10).
Rick Bishop (7 kills, 4 blocks), Phil Hannon (19 assists, 3 blocks, 2 digs), Matt Svetlecich (4 kills, 4 digs) and Nick Vertin (6 kills, 2 aces) led Minooka. Jake Barber (6 kills) and Josh Quinn (5 kills, ace) led North.
“It’s a great feeling to know that Plainfield North we knew them and that we wanted it more tonight,” Svetlecich said.
A Svetlecich kill gave Minooka a 10-6 lead in Game 1.
North fought back, and a Barber kill tied things at 12. Minooka responded with an 8-1 run capped by a Justin Toth block to extend to a 19-13 lead.
“We just weren’t going to let up because we knew that they would come back after playing them so much this season,” Hannon said.
With Game 2 tied at 11, Minooka reeled off four consecutive points, highlighted by a Ryan Bauer ace.
North rallied again, getting even at 17 on a Quinn kill. Another Toth block, followed by a Vertin ace, put Minooka ahead for good at 19-17 before the Indians served out the match.
“I am so very proud of my boys,” Grzetich said. “They played with heart. You just knew they wanted it.”
“We played great defensively but we just made a lot of offensive errors,” North coach Kevin Vesper said.
