Boys Volleyball: Metea Valley drops Hinsdale South in two sets

Updated: March 19, 2012 10:34PM

Metea Valley’s top players have been together all three years, and it showed Monday night in the season opener for both teams at Hinsdale South Monday night.

Metea has its first senior class in the school’s four-year history, but it was senior setter Chad Martin and junior outside hitter Martin Krasuski who showed off remarkable chemistry from the beginning. The 6-foot-4 Krasuski had nine kills and Martin added 16 assists at the Mustangs defeated Hinsdale South 25-16, 25-17 in Darien.

The Hornets didn’t have a kill in the second set and had only five kills in the entire match with two each by Robbie Mead and Mike Wasiukiewicz.

Krasuski had five kills in the first set while Nick Wieland contributed four kills for the Mustangs. Shiv Desai, a 6-6 junior middle, had three of his four blocks in the match in the second set.

“It was a great start to the season,” Krasuski said. “You definitely saw what we could do. To win, we have to be much improved from last year.”

The Mustangs led 16-15 in the first set and then scored six consecutive points and nine of 10 to end the opening set. Desai’s blocks came midway through the second set. His final block of the match gave Metea a 9-5 victory and then the Mustangs scored another point on a Hinsdale South net violation.

“For a first match, it’s a start,” Metea coach John Aister said. “We showed aggressiveness. The team showed an aggressive style. We were attacking.”

Mead is the only returning starter for the Hornets (16-19 last season, 1-5 West Suburban Gold). The Hornets started Hyonki Moon and Dylan Saracco to run a two-setter offense. Both made their varsity debuts while Saracco was the only starting sophomore on the team.

Desai and the Mustangs owned a height advantage at the net. Hinsdale’s tallest starter is 6-3 senior middle Eric Thompson, who did not score any points Monday.

“We’re definitely very young,” Hinsdale South coach Billson Rasavongxay said. “It was a great experience for the first-year varsity guys, especially our two sophomores. The speed of the game is so different for them.”

The Hornets do not play again until the opening round of Wheaton Warrenville South’s Tiger Classic either March 29 or March 30. Hinsdale returns to the tournament after taking several years off. Rasavongxay has made over the tournament portion of his schedule by adding the Tiger Classic and Glenbard East Invitational April 7 while leaving the Downers Grove South Invitational and season-opening St. Charles East Invitational.

“I’m not too worried about the record,” Rasavongxay said. “These guys want to play the tougher teams.”

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