Redhawks stand tall vs. Downers N.

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Naperville Central is looking to return to the top of the DuPage Valley Conference. Downers Grove North is exploring its options.

The two teams met Monday in Naperville to open the 2008 boys volleyball season, and the veteran Redhawks rode their twin towers -- 6-foot-6 middles Matt Yanz and Mike Brdicka -- to a 25-17, 25-23 victory.

"Our middles are our strength," first-year Naperville Central coach Bryan Johnwick said. "If we pass well, we can effectively use our middles to open things up for our outside hitters [junior Dan Dierking and senior Joe Thomas].

"We want to bring Naperville Central back to being a strong contender in the state. There’s a lot of tradition here. Our guys are really excited for the season. But we have to keep improving."

Yanz led Naperville Central with eight kills and two aces. Brdicka added five kills and two blocks.

"Our passing was amazing," Yanz said. "That’s what we need to be able to put the ball down. It was an inexplicable feeling tonight. You could feel the intensity to start the match. We were ready to play.”

Lewis University recruit Jay Petty paced Downers Grove North with nine kills and two aces, all coming in the second game. The Trojans used a 5-1 run to pull even in the second game at 23-23, but a kill and ace by Yanz prevented the visitors from forcing a third game.

"We’re still looking at all of our options," Downers North coach Karen Eder said. "We have an interesting team. We lost eight seniors to graduation, and we have a bench that is deep with utility players. It will be interesting to see who steps up."