Junior setter Brian Kim was confident Vernon Hills could win a third consecutive Central Suburban North title this season.
That he and multiple other players were new to coach Chris Curry’s varsity team wasn’t a concern for Kim.
“Coach Curry and his staff have found ways to make this program successful no matter who is returning and who is new trying to fit it,” Kim said. “They just keep it rolling.”
Kim did his part to keep it rolling on Monday. He recorded a season-high 23 assists as the Cougars swept Deerfield 25-19, 25-14 at home to earn at least a share of the division title.
Vernon Hills (23-6, 8-0), which has a two-game lead over Niles North and can win the title outright with a victory against Maine West or Highland Park, is seeded third in the Grant Sectional that begins May 22.
“It’s an exciting time of the year for us,” Kim said. “We want to be playing our best volleyball in the playoffs because our competition is going to be tough.”
Kim was the setter for Vernon Hills’ junior varsity team last year. He competed with senior Nick Crisanti and junior Sarthak Agrawal to become the varsity starter this season.
“I knew it was going to be wide open because we had lost so many seniors from last season,” Kim said. “I just wanted a chance to show what I could do.”
Kim got that opportunity early in the season and has proved to Curry that he deserves the chance to run the offense.
“He’s really an improved player who has cut down on his errors,” Curry said. “He showed us he could manage the load of being our lone setter.
“We can still use Nick and Sarthak in situations when Brian might need a break. But it’s that time of the season when we need to get our lineup somewhat set to get ready for the postseason.”
Curry knows the Cougars’ depth — which includes two liberos, three middles and five solid outside hitters — puts them in a great position.
“It’s a nice problem to have sometimes, especially with injuries and stuff, but we also have to be able to feel comfortable with getting our continuity together at this time of the season,” Curry said.
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Getting everyone involved is a big part of Kim’s job.
“It might have been a little bit of a problem early in the season with so many new players contributing, but now we are more settled into our roles,” Kim said. “We can still do better with communicating. But we all have the same goal of making this team the best it can be.”
Kim showcased his knowledge of the offense against Deerfield (11-14, 3-5) while increasing his season total to 387 assists.
Senior middle David Rzepa had eight kills, senior outside Max March had seven kills and junior middle Ben Miller had four kills.
“Our three middles were 15-for-19 hitting combined, so we have to find ways of getting them the ball more,” Curry said.
Curry said he would also like to see Kim take advantage of his athletic ability to attack more by swinging at passes when the opportunity comes. Kim had three kills on Monday.
“I can go get it sometimes,” Kim said. “I would rather get the ball to my big guys because they know what to do with it.”
Kim also praised senior libero Evan Hessel and junior defensive specialist Max Adkisson for getting him the ball in good positions for sets this season.
“I have great passers on this team, and Evan is just running and diving everywhere to get the ball up to me,” Kim said. “They make my job easier.”
Darren Day is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.