Libertyville libero Reece Wiatrowski had no qualms about embracing the underdog role during the postseason.
After all, it made for a better story. Wiatrowski called the Wildcats’ playoff run “a miracle.”
“We started as the fourth seed in our regional. We weren’t supposed to even win that,” Wiatrowski said. “Then we won regional. We won sectional. We’ve been knocking down a bunch of first-seeded teams.”
Wiatrowski and the Wildcats crashed the state semifinals with one more upset win against Oak Park-River Forest in the quarterfinals on Friday. But that’s where their magic ran out.
Libertyville lost to eventual state champion Glenbard West in a semifinal and then dropped the third-place match 25-22, 23-25, 25-20 to Downers Grove South in Hoffman Estates on Saturday.
But the Wildcats (22-15) weren’t about to hang their heads.
“It felt so amazing and surreal to know that we’re the best team in Libertyville program history,” Wiatrowski said.
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It’s the best finish for the program in 30 years of existence.
“It puts our mark in history,” right-side hitter Oliver Sikora said. “We were so connected as a team.”
Sikora was a big reason for that. The senior led Libertyville with nine kills in the third-place match against Downers Grove South (35-6). He provided a clutch attack option behind star outside hitter Patrick Akers and middle hitter Chase Bonder.
“Early in the season, I relied on the other guys to be vocal,” Sikora said. “As someone who was quiet on the court, I slowly started being louder. It brings the team together when everyone is loud and into it.”
“Oliver is clutch for us,” Libertyville coach Jenny Smith said. “He’s a silent assassin. He doesn’t always explode on the court verbally, but he’s so solid and has a great volleyball IQ.”
But it appeared no amount of scheming or volleyball genius could stop Downers Grove South’s 6-foot-7 outside hitter, Matt Molnar, who tallied six kills on seven swings in the first set. Molnar, set to play at McKendree, finished with 17 kills on a robust .429 attack percentage. He was able to halt Libertyville rallies whenever the Mustangs needed him.
“He’s definitely one of the best hitters we faced this season,” Wiatrowski said.
“He’s special, and we’ll be talking about him for years to come,” said Downers Grove South coach Kurt Steuer, who led the Mustangs to a state title in 2013.
Akers recorded seven kills in the match and 28 total in three matches at state. The senior capped a stellar career with 297 kills this season.
Aleks Slesers put down five kills and nine digs in the third-place match, with middle hitter Mack Imm (2.5 blocks) and setters Luis Correa (15 assists) and Ethan Lindberg (9 assists) also contributing steady play. Bonder finished with five kills and two solo blocks.
Libertyville came alive in the second set, racing out to a 16-8 lead before Downers Grove South put a little pressure on the Wildcats.
“We had nothing to lose,” Wiatrowski said. “We went out giving it our all.”
With nine seniors graduating, it’s a banner season that will be long remembered for the Wildcats.
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“We’re so happy with this postseason run,” Smith said. “We started peaking at the right time. For teenage boys, they have the passion. They’re competitive, and they love each other. It’s a really unique group of guys with great character and strong personalities.”
Logan Malloy is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.