West Volleyball Falls in Three Games

It has become a nagging trend for Naperville North at the commencement of the boys volleyball season.

“We kind of lulled ourselves (during the second game Thursday night against West Aurora),” outside hitter Spencer Sauter said. “That is something we have struggled with since the start of the season. In the third game we were a little ticked off. Extra motivation.”

In the early DuPage Valley Conference showdown in Aurora, Naperville North seized control with the teams tied at 10-10 in the decisive third game.

The Huskies’ Henry Cheatham had back-to-back kills during an unanswered five-point run, and the squad remained undefeated in league play (2-0) while improving to 10-3 overall with its 25-18, 23-25, 25-18 win over the Blackhawks (5-2, 1-1).

Shane Witmer had an ace to increase the Huskies’ third-game lead to 17-11, and West Aurora never came closer than five for the remainder of the contest.

Steve Massoni delivered the penultimate point for Naperville North, and Witmer closed out the hard-fought match one possession later with another kill.

“Cheatham has really stepped up his game this year,” North coach Nathan Bornancin said. “He’s getting a lot of kills. His hitting efficiency has been outstanding.”

North has plenty of firepower throughout its lineup, and the Huskies’ hard-to-defend jump serving was critical in its first-game triumph.

The Huskies scored 13 of the first 17 points and survived several West runs that cut the deficit to four on five occasions.

“They had a definite size advantage on us,” said West High coach Tolis Koskinaris. ‘You have to be scrappy at the net. Our guys are good at keeping guys out of (their offensive) system.”

West High responded in the second game.

Behind the interchangeable play of Binali Khurshidov and captain Eric Roggeman, the Blackhawks scored the final two points of the game to conclude the last of 11 ties.

Khurshidov, who led the Blackhawks’ hitters with 10 kills, followed a North hitting error with a vicious spike to force the third game.

Roggeman supplemented the Khurshidov effort with eight kills of his own.

The Huskies’ triumph also overshadowed an extraordinary defensive effort by West libero Patrick Ronan.

The junior had a match-high 22 digs, many from a sprawling or prone position.
“(Ronan) played out of his mind,” Bornancin said.

“He was all-conference as a sophomore,” Koskanaris said. “He might even be unanimous this year. He accepts that responsibility.”

Witmer had 10 kills and five blocks to pace North; Cheatham (eight) and Sauter (six) combined for 14 kills, and Massoni engineered the attack with 18 assists.

The Huskies’ Danny Boryca led the North defensive effort with 18 digs.