Oak Lawn gets settled in

Updated: March 28, 2011 9:38AM

With a team that features eight seniors, first-year Oak Lawn boys volleyball coach Ryan Skendzel has high expectations for his squad.

Only one position was unsettled for the Spartans; setter.

But two matches into the young season, Ali Sheikh has stepped up into the role.

Dishing out 20 assists in Thursday's South Suburban crossover, Sheikh helped lead Oak Lawn to a 25-19, 25-17 win at Lemont.

"I've been setting since I was little," Sheikh said with a smile. "I'm definitely feeling comfortable with the role. I've just got to get the ball to the spots where (the hitters) are used to it. They had a senior setter last year the team was used to, so I've got to get used to how they like their sets."

Pat McGuinness had 10 kills, nine digs and three blocks for Oak Lawn (2-0, 2-0). Also contributing for the Spartans were Dan Stanek (5 kills), Marc Hansen (11 digs) and Samer El-Ramahi (4 kills, 2 blocks).

"Ali has definitely been improving, and just needs some work on his footwork," Skendzel said. "First time being on varsity, he's done a great job for us."

Trailing 15-10 in Game 1, it wasn't that Ali's sets weren't there. His hitters struggled to keep the ball inbounds.

But with the junior setter serving, Oak Lawn took charge with seven unanswered points. The Spartans closed the game on a 15-4 run.

"We started playing with a little emotion," Skendzel said. "They're on (spring) break right now, and they were a little quiet. We came out a little flat being off all day, and after the timeout they got into it and their emotion changed the whole game."

Tied at 4 in Game 2, McGuinness helped the Spartans take control. Powering home three kills as part of a 7-1 run, the senior outside hitter helped Oak Lawn pull away for good.

For Lemont (0-2, 0-2), Gregg Husa (7 kills, 4 blocks) led the way, with Mike Krueger (7 digs, 6 kills) and Kevin Leadley (7 digs, 15 assists) also chipping in.

Indians coach David Heller was glad to see his team push Oak Lawn but wanted to see more.

"We've been pushing teams we've never even competed with," Heller said. "These things take time to build a program, and we have high expectations. They're starting to believe in themselves."

Richards 25-25, Shepard 19-20: Jeremy Norton had nine kills and Ned Razick added 25 assists to lead visiting Richards (2-0,2-0) in the South Suburban Red.

Illiana Christian 25-25, Oak Forest 21-19: Dale Krygier had 23 assists and Kyle VanderZee put down seven kills for host Illiana Christian (1-1). Oak Forest fell to 2-1.

Honolulu Iolani Invitational: Brother Rice (1-1) defeated Honolulu Damien 25-13, 25-14 and lost to Honolulu Punahou 25-16, 25-17.

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