ROSELLE – When the spike of St. Charles North’s Jackson Kolodziej sailed past the Lake Park end line May 31, so did the Hollywood ending.
The boys volleyball team that could achieve without a go-to star finally couldn’t. The North Stars fell short in their bid to make it to state, losing in straight sets to host Lake Park, 25-15, 25-20, in an IHSA sectional final.
Errors at the net, both on offense and defense, hampered the North Stars.
“They caught us on a bad night,” North coach Todd Weimer said. “That is probably the worst we’ve played in two or three weeks … and that’s not taking anything away from Lake Park. We just had too many hitting and blocking errors.”
Weimer spent a good amount of time talking with his team after the disappointing match.
“I told them, ‘Don’t let this define your season,’” Weimer said. “We beat St. Charles East twice, once in the playoffs. … We won a regional championship.”
The North Stars, who have none of their eight seniors going on to play collegiate volleyball, held a 15-13 lead in the second set, but a service error by Kolodziej, a service ace by Lake Park and a spike by the Lancers’ Jack Fischer put Lake Park in front. Although the North Stars would tie the game at 17, 18 and 19, they could never put consecutive points together to get back in the lead.
Seven of the game’s final 20 points were recorded by Fischer, propelling Lake Park to the state quarterfinals at Hoffman Estates on June 3.
“He’s a great player,” Weimer said of the Lake Park star. “He’s quick and he hits from different locations. He has a top shot he used three or four times in a row, and that is just one of his three shots.”
The North Stars finished the year at 25-15, playing a rugged non-conference schedule that included former state champions Wheaton Warrenville South and Glenbard West. Weimer felt the tough competition helped prepare the North Stars for their playoff run.
The team was bidding for its first state berth since 2013.
Drew Lanz and Danny Hamilton led the North Stars with four kills each during the match. Hamilton added a service ace and seven digs.
Danny Throop led the North Stars with six assists. North Star libero Sean O’Leary led the squad with nine digs.
Weimer acknowledged the continued success of Lanz, who was a three-year starter for him and has been an excellent student in the classroom as well.
Lanz, who will attend Bradley in the fall and is considering playing club volleyball there, said after the game that it hadn’t sunk in that his North Star playing career was over.
He said that he and his teammates took satisfaction in upending some highly touted individuals along the way.
“I think we’re all happy that we were able to beat kids with Division I scholarships,” Lanz said.