Boys Volleyball: Ryne Anders, Panthers pick apart Waubonsie

AURORA – Oswego libero Ryne Anders deliberately picked on one certain opponent Monday night, but he isn’t a bully.

He did, however, pick apart Waubonsie Valley’s defense. Anders led a sparkling defensive effort and also served seven consecutive points during a key Game 2 run as the Panthers knocked off the host Warriors 25-18, 25-20.

Waubonsie Valley led 3-0 early in the second set, which was still tight when Austin Swanson’s kill gave the serve to Anders, a 5-foot-7 junior who had been frustrating the Warriors’ attack throughout the match.

Anders added to that frustration by starting his service run with an ace. By the time it ended, the Panthers held a 17-8 lead.

“I’m a libero, so my job as a server is just getting it in,” Anders said. “So as long as I can do that consistently, that’s all that matters.”

Anders wasn’t taking any risks with his serves, but he did have a plan.

“We just targeted one person and it worked out for us,” Anders said. “I kept hitting [it to] that one person until it didn’t work anymore, because I wasn’t going to miss a serve.”

Anders and his teammates didn’t miss much as they beat the bigger Warriors for the second time this season. This victory was a little more meaningful because both teams were missing multiple starters during the earlier meeting.

“We’re still young as a varsity team so it’s always good to come out with a win,” Anders said. “It’s a good confidence-booster.”

Anders has given the Panthers (6-10) a boost with his play and leadership in the back row. Oswego has five seniors, only two of whom played Monday. Their starting lineup includes four juniors, a senior and sophomore setter Anthony Maltese.

“[Anders] is always our defensive workhorse,” Oswego coach Zachary Splitt said. “He’s always going to be able to give us, at the least, solid defense.

“The nicest thing that I saw out of him today was a lot of defensive communication. He’s getting the confidence to start talking to the other players, whether offense or defense.

“He’s not just a one-dimensional player doing out his job. He’s making sure that the whole team is doing their jobs.”

Indeed, Anders was the spark plug of a six-cylinder engine. Maltese spread 14 assists among five hitters, with juniors Ben Williams and Nicholas Palatine leading the way with five kills apiece.

“[Anders'] serving was phenomenal as well as his first touches when the ball first got sent over the net,” Palatine said. “He just sends it right to Maltese. He really lets Maltese go to work and do his job.”

And the Panthers have plenty of hitters eager to go to work.

“What’s happening more and more often this season is we’re not just feeding one person anymore,” Anders said. “We’re able to spread out our offense a lot more, so the better we can build off of that, the more wins we can get.”

Four different Panthers had kills during an 8-0 run that opened up an 18-9 lead in the opening set. Palatine, a 6-2 middle, had two of his four blocks during that run.

“It all starts with a good pass and if it gets right to the setter’s hands it lets us spread out the offense, whether it’s to the pins or it’s to me,” Palatine said. “If a perfect pass goes to the middle, that’s when I do my job.

“I pick a spot when I’m up in the air. I look down, I got a couple seconds to think about it and just swing.”

The Panthers enjoyed big edges at the net, where they had seven blocks, and serving. Oswego had four aces against five service errors, while the Warriors (2-6) had one ace against six errors.

“The biggest pleasant surprise tonight was our defense,” Splitt said. “I thought we blocked exceptionally well.

“We were doing a very good job of finishing our blocks.”

That gives Splitt hope that the Panthers will finish off more opponents.

“We’re finally starting to get to a point where we’re getting comfortable with the guys on the court and getting to the point where they can actually push each other,” Splitt said. “We’re finally starting to get hungry.”