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Last season, the Lockport boys volleyball team was loaded with seniors. That experience showed, as the Porters finished with a 32-6 record and a regional championship.
This season, only two players returned for the Porters from that team. Despite the loss of 10 to graduation, Lockport has hit a hot streakm winning its last four matches to improve to 11-7.
“We had a bit of a rough start,” said Adam Gieser, one of two returning seniors. “We lost a couple matches, then we won a few and lost a couple more. Now we are starting to get some things cleaned up and becoming better as a team. We have come a long way already this season.
“I was lucky last year, because we had so many seniors. Some of them were three-year varsity guys, and the rest were two-year guys. They had a lot of experience and knowledge, and I tried to learn from them. This year, it’s my turn to try to pass that knowledge on to the younger guys.”
Porters coach Nick Mraz knew that this year’s team would be vastly different from last year’s.
“We graduated a lot of guys from last year, so we knew we would have some growing pains this year,” Mraz said. “We have seven losses this year, and four of them are three-set losses. In all of those, we won the first set but lost the last two. Even if we had won two of those, our record would be 13-5.
“We have been able to clean up some of the mistakes we were making earlier in the year and keep them from snowballing into big runs for the other team. These kids keep grinding and putting in the work, and it’s starting to show. The biggest thing is for these guys to get used to the speed of the varsity game. That’s a huge adjustment coming from the frosh-soph or JV level to the varsity.”
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TEAMS TO WATCH
With the season near its midpoint, the cream is beginning to rise to the top, and records follow. Bolingbrook has burst out of the gate with a 14-3 record, Lincoln-Way East is 10-2, and Lincoln-Way West – a state quarterfinalist last season – and Lincoln-Way Central both are 10-6.
Plainfield South has quietly gotten off to a 12-8 start and recently welcomed back Domonic Krejci, who missed the first portion of the season while he was playing the male lead in the Cougars’ spring musical.
TOURNEY TIME
Several area teams took part in the 24-team Wheaton-Warrenville South Tiger Invitational last weekend. Lincoln-Way West was the lone area squad to advance to the Gold Bracket, and the Warriors finished eighth.
Plainfield South finished third in the Silver Bracket for 11th place overall, while Minooka and Plainfield North were in the Bronze Bracket. Plainfield North took second in the Bronze for 18th overall, and Minooka was fourth for 20th place.
WHAT ABOUT THE POSTSEASON?
Most of the teams in The Herald-News coverage area will take part in the 31-team Hinsdale South Sectional. Local teams competing in that sectional include Bolingbrook, Joliet Catholic Academy, Joliet Central, Joliet West, Lemont, Lockport, Minooka, Lincoln-Way West, Providence Catholic, Plainfield Central, Plainfield East, Plainfield North, Plainfield South and Romeovile. Regional hosts will be Bolingbrook, Downers Grove North, Minooka and Oswego.
The other sectional that features Herald-News area teams is the Belleville West Sectional. Both Lincoln-Way East and Lincoln-Way Central are in the 14-team sub-sectional B of that 27-team sectional, with Lincoln-Way East and Rich Township each hosting a regional.