Martin keys Metea Valley’s signature victory

Updated: May 12, 2011 10:53PM

In a milestone victory over archrival Waubonsie Valley, Metea Valley setter Chad Martin came up with a breakout match.

“Chad really showed us that when he’s on, the team is moving forward and clicking,” said coach John Aister, after the Mustangs upset the Warriors in three — 25-15, 17-25, 25-18.

“He didn’t miss many sets and the way he controlled the floor and ran the offense was outstanding. He kept the Waubonsie kids on their toes.”

Martin, a 6-2 junior, had 24 assists, his high for the season, against Waubonsie Valley and did a great job of moving the ball around. And his hitters were proficient at finishing the point.

Aister saw the win as a milestone in what has been a successful inaugural season for the varsity program.

The Mustangs are 15-15, which was where the coaching staff hoped they would be at this point in the year.

“This win shows that if we play the way we’re capable of playing, we can stay with the better teams,” Aister said. “This was our first signature win. It was like a new team showed up to play. We were consistent, aggressive and we didn’t make too many errors. Our ball control, passing and serving were the best they’ve been all season.”

The Mustangs will be without outside hitter Martin Krasuski for at least this week with a dislocated finger.

Major hitter

In last week’s three-set win over Upstate Eight rival Lake Park, Neuqua Valley’s Jon Storm showed why he’s regarded as one of the top hitters in the state.

Storm put down 19 kills on 34 attempts.

“We knew their big hitter Trace Szcygiel was on the right side,” said Neuqua Valley coach Erich Mendoza. “He and Jon were often in there face-to-face. And they were both getting their kills. We were getting the ball to Jon every time in the front row. Jon is a smart hitter. He gets up and hits a hard crosscourt shot, even if the other team is blocking. He does a good job with angle hits and always gets the ball on the floor.”

The coach said that Storm’s consistent and emphatic hitting can demoralize the opposition.

“The other team knows we’re going to set him,” Mendoza said. “Sometimes they set up triple blocks against him, and he was still getting kills, on tools as well as over and around the blocks. It’s good for us to know that when we need a kill we can go to Jon and get a point out of it.”

Mendoza also had praise for Conner Dart and Zach Gilligan, who turned in top-flight defensive performances against Lake Park, and Alex Blackwell, who was meticulous running the 5-1 offense.

“This was our best match of the season,” Mendoza said. “Especially, because it was on the road against one of our conference rivals.”

Central progressing

Sarvesh Somisetty of Naperville Central is emerging as the go-to guy coach Jeff Danbom knew he could be.

“The setters are seeing Sarvesh and getting the ball to him when the game’s on the line,” Danbom said. “He’s getting more than the normal number of sets for a right-side. And he’s calling for the ball.”

Danbom is pleased with the Redhawks’ progress in recent weeks.

“The guys are starting to believe in what they can do as a team,” Danbm said. “We’re not a team with big names so everyone has to be playing to the best of his ability for us to be successful.”

The Redhawks made a good showing in recent matches against conference powers Wheaton Warrenville South and Glenbard East, before they lost both matches.

“Against Wheaton we got off to an 0-5 start because of errors,” said Danbom “But later we played better defense against their attack and lost the second game 25-23.”

The Redhawks won the first game 26-24 against Glenbard East, and the teams were tied 18-18 in Game 3 when they were once again beset by a series of errors.

“In the second and third games, we were strong and went back and forth with them for most of the match,” said Danbom. “We showed we can play with anyone. We just have to have the mental strength to push and win the third game against a good team.”

Outstanding play at net

One of the consistent bright spots for Waubonsie Valley this year has been 6-foot-7 middle hitter Jordan James and his work at the net.

James, who has helped lead the Warriors to a 20-10 record, is the team’s leader in blocks and he’s third in kills.

“Jordan can’t be stopped at the net,” said Waubonsie Valley coach Al Lagger. “He’s solid all around and he plays with a lot of intelligence. His year of club volleyball really helped him. He’s gotten faster, he’s doing a great job of reading the play and he’s getting to the spots.”

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