Boys Volleyball: West Aurora stops West Chicago

West Aurora’s boys volleyball team celebrated Senior Night in style, notching its 22nd win of the season in DuPage Valley Conference play over West Chicago.

The 28-26, 25-16 win helped the eight graduating seniors give the program its most wins since the 2005 state tournament team, which won 25 total games, including four in the postseason.

“They really wanted to win this match,” West Aurora coach Tolis Koskinaris said. “It showed. Their effort was really high. The emotion was high, too. We want to beat Glenbard East on Thursday. That would be a big win for us.”

That is the last match remaining for the Blackhawks (22-11 overall, 8-5 DVC) before regional play begins next week. Tuesday, they survived a back-and-forth first game, winning it when West Chicago (16-18, 4-9)was called for a rotation violation with the Blackhawks up 27-26, giving them the win on an unusual circumstance.

West Aurora wasted no time rolling that momentum into the second game. The Blackhawks roared to a 12-2 lead on senior Eric Roggeman’s ace. He had three of his team-high nine kills in that span, as well. The Wildcats never seriously threatened, getting no closer than seven points the rest of the way.

“It was definitely a great time,” Roggeman said of the Senior Night festivities and the win. “A lot of us were nervous. I’d say Joey (Schwerdtfeger, the setter who had 20 assists) was a little shaky with the sets, but eventually he got it and we started putting them down. We were all focused and hitting the ball right, making good contact.”

Despite their 22-11 record, the Blackhawks are the 11th seed in the loaded Wheaton Warrenville South Sectional. They can set the tone for winning the program’s second-ever regional title with a win over Glenbard East Thursday. The Rams are the second seed and will be paired with West Aurora at the Blackhawks’ own regional next week.

West Aurora’s win over Elk Grove, the top seed in the Elgin Sectional, in the finals of the Fremd Tournament two weeks ago gives it confidence that a postseason run could be forthcoming.

“It’s definitely a motivation for us to do better,” Roggeman said of the 11 seed. “There’s only one number up on that banner (the 2005 regional title). We want another one, at least. That’s our goal, get our number on the banner.”

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