Coming off an unusual loss to Glenbrook South, the Ramblers needed a statement win, and they came nowhere near short of that goal.
The men’s volleyball team cruised past the struggling 11-20 St. Rita Mustangs in a blowout fashion. The Ramblers, who hold a dominant record of 25-2, are ranked #21 nationally in the weekly Volleyball Coaches Association rankings. They have had nothing but a fantastic season so far and look to keep it moving.
The first set started off a bit slow for the Ramblers, and they let the Mustangs hang around a bit until young sophomore, Aldis Kins (younger brother of senior Stef Kins), was up to serve. With a smooth touch, Aldis kept sending the ball over the net and while the Mustangs would find ways to return the ball, senior Stef Kins (George Mason University volleyball commit), who ended with 3 digs, would volley it up for Jack Lopez and Ben Trapp to create havoc with their hard hitting spikes.
After the game Lopez said, “I love that we have such a dominant lineup because you really can’t hit the ball anywhere on the court. It is a bad idea for you to hit it to any of the guys we have in.”
He finished with an outstanding performance of 6 kills, 3 blocks, and 3 aces.
Furthermore, it was pretty crucial that the Mustangs were missing key senior captain, Aidan Peloquin, as he was taken out of the game early with an apparent leg injury. The Mustangs could not figure out a way to stop the Ramblers, and the Ramblers created a 19-7 lead. It was over from there as the Ramblers gave them no space to come back, winning the set 25-10.
The second set began, and it was obvious that the Mustangs had felt defeated, losing Peloquin early on in the game. They came out slow. The Ramblers built a quick lead of 8-3, led by seniors Ben Trapp and key newcomer Dean Sollecito as they had monstrous spikes that froze up the Mustangs. This pair ended with 8 kills total, 6 from Trapp, and 2 from Sollecito.
The Mustangs had to take a timeout to regroup. The Mustangs, who seemed dead, brought some life after the timeout as senior captain Lucas Olzewski sent over a powerful spike the Rambler’s could not return which was set up by Timmy Moore, also a senior. This was enough to give them some momentum, and they put up a few points making it 8-7, Ramblers.
This did not last very long as the Rambler’s punched back, building another mini lead of 13-8. From then on, the Ramblers kept their focus and created more space, making it 20-11 due to key momentum swinging plays from senior Liam Uruba, who sent a powerful spike over that the Mustangs had no answer for, and impressive net defense from Lopez and Sollecito.
The Ramblers let up 2 more points and were victorious as the second set finished 25-13. The mission for a much needed bounce back win for the Ramblers was successful.
Assistant coach Alhambra was there to give them their flowers. Alhambra stated, “These boys have worked their tails off all season and the fact we see results is not surprising to me at all. Job is far from finished, and we are going to keep working and getting better for the playoffs.”
The 25-2 Ramblers travel to Brother Rice in a Chicago Catholic league blue division conference matchup Thursday, May 9. The chance to share a conference title is at stake, and the Ramblers look attain their first championship in what seems like many more to come.
