Warren finishes on upswing
It was an adventurous match for the Warren boys volleyball team Wednesday night against visiting Mundelein.
The Blue Devils rolled to a 25-16 victory in the first game only to see the Mustangs turn the tables with an easy 25-13 win in the second game.
That set the stage for the decisive third game, which stood tied at 11-11 at one point.
But like the first two lopsided games, the final game would also be one-sided. Warren (10-7, 3-1) easily pulled away down the stretch to win the North Suburban Conference match 25-16, 13-25, 25-13.
Mundelein (10-11, 1-2) trailed 15-9 in the opener and could never recover as 3 service points by Warren’s Joe Alexander aided by a kill by teammate Eric Lindsay gave the Blue Devils their biggest lead at 19-10.
But Game 2 was an entirely different story as the Mustangs jumped ahead to a commanding 14-7 lead against the sluggish Warren attack. The Blue Devils had only 2 service points in the entire second game.
Mundelein’s Jose Orozco (62-of-62 setting, 11 assists) closed out the second game with 5 service points.
“We have a tendency to get off to a slow start at times and we did tonight,” Mundelein coach George Dressen Jr. said. “In Game 3 there was a little momentum change and that changed the outcome of the game.
“In Game 2, we played like we should play every time on the court and we played a complete game,” added Dressen.”In the end, Warren had more confidence than we did to finish the game.”
With Warren leading 12-11 in Game 3, Blue Devils sophomore Max Bongratz rolled off 6 key service points. His his ace gave the hosts their biggest lead at 18-11.
Warren senior Tyler Smith added 2 service points for a 21-12 advantage before Alexander closed out the match with 3 service points. A kill by 6-foot-9 senior Sean O’Connor (9 kills) put the finishing touches on the 25-13 victory.
“We have a lot of talent, but it’s just a matter of applying it and playing every point like it’s our last,” said Smith, who will sign a letter of intent Friday to St. Ambrose. “Max (Bongratz) had a really good serve tonight and Sean (O’Connor) has really been our cornerstone all season.”
Corey Flores was one of Mundelein’s leaders on the attack with 6 kills on 28-of-31 hitting, while senior teammate Parker Tortorello added 5 kills on 29-of-34 hitting. Smith added 16 assists for Warren.
Experience proved to be a difference-maker for the Blue Devils’ veteran team as five of their six starters are seniors.
“Mentally we have to stay in the game and after winning the first game they still have to put in some effort,” said Warren coach Yun Chen. “After the second game they got refocused and they really came out and played well in the third game. But there’s still a lot of work to do.”