By Bobby Narang –
The Neuqua Valley High School boys volleyball team nearly made history last weekend.
The Wildcats, in their third State appearance in program history, came within a few points of winning their first State championship.
Lincoln-Way East pulled away with two straight points to take a 20-25, 25-21, 25-22 victory over the Neuqua Valley Saturday at Hoffman Estates High School.
The Wildcats, 33-8, defeated three-time State champion Glenbard West in Saturday’s semifinal. In the championship game, senior outside hitter Jeremy Grove ended a strong outing at State with a team-high 19 kills, while Kevin Kauling added six kills and 16 assists.
“We were only one or two points, and the final score showed that,” Kauling said. “It was point for point the whole game. We played our hearts out.”
Junior middle hitter Jeremy Cardenas said the returnees gained valuable experience playing three games at State.
“It was a good experience for everyone, especially the juniors,” he said. “It’s always hard the first time at State, getting used to the crowd and everything. It’s good to get that experience, so you can get comfortable for next year. I think we will get better for next season.”
The Wildcats were forced to alter their offense when the 6-7 Kauling, a setter, missed both sectional games and Friday’s State quarterfinal due to his commitment to the U.S. National U19 team. He was in Colorado Springs, Colo., for eights days before finding out Thursday that he missed the cut to make the national team for the NORCECA U19 Continental championship in Costa Rica, June 6-10.
“They cut me and told me I wasn’t ready, but it’s awesome that I was at least able to come back and help my team,” Kauling said. “This wasn’t the outcome we wanted, but we took a new step for the program. We were one or two points away from a (State championship).”
Glenbard West bounced back from its three-set loss to the Wildcats by defeating New Trier, 25-15, 25-22 in the third-place game. The Hilltoppers, 38-4, were led by junior outside hitter Ryan Swartz’s eight kills.
“It was really nice to play a big role on the varsity this year,” Swartz said. “We knew it was going to be a tough year coming in with all the juniors and losing so many seniors. We definitely played as a team and have a good group of guys.
“I’m super excited for next year. We have a few spots to fill, but we definitely have some people to fill them. I’m looking forward to being a leader. I’m going to be working more on my passing and on the championship mindset.”
