Boys volleyball season is here. Last year saw a couple surprises. Surprise #1: Taft won city last year. Taft's boys volleyball team was their only team to win a city championship in any sport in the 2006-07 season. Surprise #2 - Whitney Young became the first Public League volleyball team to advance to the state quarterfinals after the elimination of the automatic Public Leage state berth a few years ago.
What do these surprises mean? It could mean that city volleyball is on the rise. With the emergence of Taft and Northside Prep, the city now has several quality volleyball teams that are looking to compete with their suburban counterparts. Others teams to look out for in the city include Lane Tech, Payton, Lincoln Park, and Kelvyn Park.
www.LaneTechFan.com 2007-08 Pre-season boys volleyball rankings:
1. Taft
2. Whitney Young
3. Lane Tech
4. Payton
5. Lincoln Park
6. Kelvyn Park
7. Northside Prep
8. Gage Park
9. Von Steuben
10. Foreman
Public League preview from the Suntimes:
Red North has look of another city winner
By Phil Brozynski
The Red North Division has dominated Chicago Public Schools boys
volleyball, winning seven consecutive city titles and 10 of the last
11. The league figures to produce another city titlist in 2008.
Taft
finished third in the Red North but won the CPS tournament last year.
Five players returns from that team including 6-foot-4 senior Lukasz
Sienko and 6-1 senior George Vasels. Sienko will play both middle and
outside for the Eagles while Vasels moves to setter.
“George has really dedicated himself to being a setter and set for
his club team,” said first-year Taft coach Keith Scherdt. “Lukasz is
our best blocker. Both George and Lukasz will be the leaders of this
team.”
Lincoln Park does not return much height, but coach John Davis does
return his top hitter from 2007 in 5-foot-11 Howard Hu, an all-city
libero in 5-8 Daniel Lin, and 5-8 setter Felipe Bastos, who honed his
skills in the off-season at the Powerhouse volleyball club.
“The division will be very competitive this year,” Davis said.
“Taft, Lincoln Park, Northside Prep, Whitney Young, Lane and Payton all
have quality teams with numerous club players.”
Northside Prep joins the Red North after going 10-0 in the Green
(and 22-7 overall) last year. Northside should be well-equipped to make
the jump, with 6-2 senior outside hitter Karl Nerger and 6-3 junior
middle Craig Melhuse leading the way.
Other top players for coach Nicole Flores are 6-foot junior setter
John Konow, 6-5 senior middle blocker Jack Moore and 5-10 freshman
opposite Luke Sobieraj.
Payton finished 22-15 last year and was runner-up to Taft in the
city tournament. Payton lost its top two players, Henry Gottlieb and
Jeyser Perez, and seven seniors from that team and will sport a new
look in 2008.
Coach Casey Feeney is counting on a pair of 6-2 senior middle
hitters, Faris Cano and Kevin Hoag, and 6-0 sophomore outside hitter
Kevin Kingsley.
Young finished 28-7 last year and reached the state quarterfinals
with a regional championship victory over Fenwick and a sectional final
win over St. Ignatius. But the Dolphins lost their top three hitters
and their setter, and will rebuild around 6-2 outside Konrad Klimek.
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