Gallery • 11 Photos

Photo by Grace Ainger

Junior Nicholas Patt runs through the player introduction tunnel before the start of the game.

The Naperville North High School varsity boys volleyball team faced a devastating loss to Benet Academy on Tuesday, April 11.

The Huskies (2-10) fell short to the Redwings (6-2) after two straight sets. 

The first set started off slower than the Huskies had hoped. There were some strong offensive plays, but those plays weren’t enough as they fell short at the end of the first set with a score of 16-25. Senior captain Noah Hrubesky reflects on what the team is hoping to do differently to carry along with them the rest of the season. 

“It’s important on how to start on sets, we tend to kinda start slow. So, working on starting faster with more energy and pace is the best way to improve,” Hrubesky said.

The second set picked up as the Huskies were not letting down without a fight. When the Redwings came in hot, so did the Huskies with strong offensive and defensive showings. The back and forth points highlight each team’s strength and endurance. However, after a good set, the boys couldn’t keep up and ended the set 19-25. Head coach Elijah Medlock explains what the team could improve on for the next games.

“I thought that our communication is one thing we could’ve done better, as well as too many missed serves. We’ve been competitive with some high-level teams this season and if we are able to clean up those free points that we’ve been giving then we’ll be able to hang on to any team,” Medlock said.

This game is the first home game of the season. As the boys reach the peak of their season, there’s a lot more to expect from the Huskies. Medlock goes on to say what to expect from the team this season.

“Once we start playing conference games, we are just getting out those early-season jitters and we’ll be all set and ready for [the rest of the season],” Medlock stated.

Despite all troubles the Huskies may face during a match, their teamwork has proved that they can prepare for what’s coming next throughout the rest of the season. Sophomore Ermuun Batchuluun implies how they’re growing as a team and what they think of themselves. 

“[One problem] is making sure we don’t argue with each other because team synergy is one the most important things to volleyball […] we have nothing to lose, we’re the underdogs here,” Batchuluun said. 

The team is set to play their next game on Tuesday, April 18 against Neuqua Valley High School. The game is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. at Neuqua Valley.