Boys Volleyball: Oswego knocks out rival Oswego East
Mary Beth Nolan~For Sun-Times Media
Updated: May 21, 2012 10:39PM
Winning a playoff game is always exciting, but it’s even sweeter when you get to knock out your biggest rival.
That’s exactly what Oswego did on Monday night, defeating crosstown foe Oswego East 25-14, 25-20 in an opening round game at the West Aurora Regional. It was the Panthers’ third victory against the Wolves this season.
“The crosstown rivalry definitely added a lot more to this game,” Oswego outside hitter Trevor Hamman said. “We play them every year and for the seniors, it was the last time they’ll ever play them. We wanted it more because of that.”
Oswego shot out to an early 11-3 in the first game and never looked back. Middle hitter Freddy Miller had five kills and a block, and outside hitter Quentin Kovac had four kills and a block as the Panthers took the first game.
In the second game, the Wolves capitalized on seven early errors by the Panthers to take an 9-5 lead. However, Oswego captured the lead with a 6-0 run that featured two kills and a block from middle hitter Brandon Garcia and never trailed again.
Panthers coach Amie West said Hamman — who had four kills in the second game — was the key to the Panthers’ 25-20 victory in Game 2.
“Trevor did a fantastic job in the second game. He really stepped it up, and got some really good kills,” West said. “Our passing struggled a little so we couldn’t go to our middles as much as we’d like, so we turned to him.”
The No. 15 seeded Panthers will face No. 2 seed Glenbard East on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. in a regional semifinal.
“We have not seen them at all this year,” West said. “I know that they’re ranked No. 2, so they’re a very good team. You beat good teams by having a lot of heart.”
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