‘Walk-on’ Wehrli a leader for Benet

Updated: April 26, 2011 11:25PM

Rarely does someone who comes to an open gym tryout actually make the varsity volleyball team.

It is even more unusual for the person to go on to become one of the stars of the team.

That success story happened last year at Benet, when then-sophomore Bobby Wehrli came to a tryout and Benet coach Amy Van Eekeren knew immediately that he would be something special.

“He was swinging aggressively and got everyone’s attention,” Van Eekeren said. “He was really one of those pleasant surprises.”

Wehrli had played in grade school and a little bit of club volleyball, but last year was his first shot at making the varsity.

Now, as a junior, he’s a starter for the second year in a row. He’s leading the team in kills with 146, and he has 18 blocks and 48 digs. He is also the team’s primary passer.

“Bobby’s powerful back row attacks, aggressive serving and dominant play in the front row make him an offensive threat from anywhere on the court,” said Van Eekeren. “He’s sharp about making adjustments on the court and he’s a sponge when it comes to taking in new information.”

Van Eekeren said Wehrli is playing like a seasoned veteran this year.

“He’s playing with confidence,” she said. “He’s our go-to guy and a team leader.”

Benet Invitational

Benet will host its sixth annual Invitational tournament on Friday and Saturday and, as always, it has a big local flavor with Naperville Central, Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie Valley among the participants. The Redwings won the first Benet Invitational in the program’s inaugural year, and they’re hoping their junior-dominated team has come of age and will challenge for the title in a powerful field that also includes St. Francis, Glenbard West, Morton and Mundelein.

“This will be a good opportunity to see where we are as far as the playoffs are concerned,” said Van Eekeren. “With this kind of competition the boys will get an opportunity to show how they can handle the pressure.”

Freshman steps in

For the second year in a row Waubonsie Valley has come up with a skillful and commanding freshman setter.

Last year, Luke Furman moved into the starting lineup immediately and became the team’s quarterback on the court.

This year Furman, who has both grown and improved, is joined by freshman Michael Simmons, and the two combine to give coach Al Lagger both flexibility and leadership for his tall and talented Warriors and their dynamic 6-2 offense.

“When we saw Michael at our summer camp we knew he would be able to step right in,” Lagger said. “He and Luke play with a lot of confidence and they’re not afraid to talk to the seniors if they see something that needs to be adjusted.”

Simmons, who’s 6-3 and plays as a hitter for his club team, is a presence at the net as is Furman, who stands 6-0.

“Luke has a good vertical and he can block and hit,” said Lagger. “I’m comfortable with either one of them in the front row. Furman is a team captain and he’s only a sophomore and that says something about his personality and his command of the game.”

Lagger said Furman and Simmons are also the two of the most effective servers on the team.

Waubonsie’s outside hitter Sean Keeve was all-tournament at the Palatine Invitational where the Warriors (17-5) were 3-2 last weekend.

Looming large

St. Francis is located in Wheaton but two of the Spartans’ biggest and best are residents of Naperville.

Matt Krese (6-7) and John Portone (6-6) were part-timers last year but they’ve moved into key roles as seniors and they also serve as two of the three co-captains for the 16-6 Spartans.

They give us height that we haven’t had in a long time,” said Spartans coach Mike Lynch. “And they’re both athletic. They’re two of the best servers on the team with Kresse being particularly effective with the jump-serve. They’re both hard workers and they’ve improved a lot from last year. Matt is a little more laid back and John is an emotional leader.”

Lynch is happy with the offense they’ve provided and believes that their continued improvement as blockers will make the Spartans a much stronger team as they get closer to the playoffs.

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