LOCKPORT – The Lincoln-Way West seniors had a graduation to attend.

Andrew Tomaszewski made sure they got there on time.

Tomaszewski, a senior setter, served an ace on match point as the Warriors avenged a season-opening loss to Plainfield North by toppling the Tigers, 25-22, 25-23, on Tuesday in the first semifinal of the Lockport Regional.

Lincoln-Way West (23-13), which is the No. 4 seed in the O’Fallon Subsectional and has won 8 of 9 matches, will play top-seeded Lockport, a 25-17, 25-9 winner over Providence in the second semifinal, for the regional title.

“I substituted a senior in at the end knowing he would get an ace,” smiling Lincoln-Way West coach Jodi Frigo said about Tomaszewski’s match-winner. “But yes, the graduation factored into our plans. If it would have gone three sets, some of the seniors were going to leave.”

But thanks to Tomaszewski’s serve off the fingertips of a Tiger, the Warriors didn’t have to worry about that. The seniors, however, were out the door as soon as the match ended.

“It wasn’t going three, Lincoln-Way West junior outside hitter Connor Studer said. “We knew the seniors had to get to graduation, so we made sure of that,”

Studer, a junior outside hitter, had eight kills and seven digs. while senior outside hitter Brian Lynch also had eight kills for the Warriors. Junior right side hitter Benen Flores and sophomore middle hitter Connor Jaral each added three kills. Junior setter Garrett Konopack passed out 12 assists, and Tomaszewski totaled eight assists. Junior libero Jack Ladd (11 digs) and freshman defensive specialist Andrew Flores (nine digs) were big on defense for Lincoln-Way West.

The second set featured five lead changes and 11 ties, the final one at 23-23 on an ace by senior outside hitter Andrew Fedmasu, who had a match-high 11 kills. That capped a 4-1 run as Plainfield North rallied from a 22-19 deficit. But the next serve was long, the Tiger’s ninth service error of the match and fifth of the set. Setting the stage for Tomaszewski’s match-winner.

“We just had too many missed serves,” Plainfield North coach Matt Slechta said. “When it comes to these close games, you can’t have that.”

There were four early ties in the first set, the last at 5-5. Then Lynch put down three kills in a row to cap a 7-2 burst that gave the Warriors the lead for good. Plainfield North (21-14) crept back within two points twice, the last at 24-22. But a long hit ended the opener.

Junior outside hitter Aidan Cupps had five kills, and sophomore middle hitter Christopher Mactal added three for the Tigers. Senior setter Bryce Wrobel had 18 assists, and senior libero Dillon Markley added 14 digs for Plainfield North, which was the No. 5 seed.

“We have a totally different lineup now,” Frigo said of the difference between the first match and this one. “We had a plan going in, and that included getting as many early points as possible because of graduation.”

The Tigers had dropped their final three regular-season matches but still managed to reach the 20 win mark for the 10th time since 2010.

“We had a different lineup too, and everyone grows,” Slechta said of the Tigers’ start of the season until now. “It was still a good season overall. We had 11 seniors overall, and they led the show a lot of times for us.”

In the second match, Lockport’s youth was served. The Porters (28-8) have six sophomores on their squad and many of them made contributions to the win.

“I don’t think it took long for them to come into their comfort zone,” Lockport coach Nick Mraz said of the sophomores. “By mid-April we were pretty happy with how they progressed.”

Josh Bluhm is one of the sophomores. The 6-foot-6 opposite-side hitter led the way with seven kills and two blocks.

“I think it’s just that we started playing the better team,s and it allowed me to see the highest level,” Bluhm said of his play. “Now I feel I can play at that level.”

Sophomore setter Evan Dziadkowiec dished out 13 assists, sophomore outside hitter Wade Welke walloped four kills and added an ace, sophomore libero Kevin Rodriguez had seven digs, and senior middle blocker Braeden Goebbert contributed five kills and four blocks for the Porters.

The first set was tied 2-2 and then Goebbert had a kill and a block in an 8-2 burst that gave Lockport the lead for good. The Celtics (11-26), who never led in the match, closed within five points on four occasions but couldn’t get closer.

It was the same story in the second set, which was tied 2-2 before the Porters went on another 8-2 burst behind a block and an ace by Goebbert. Another sophomore, outside hitter Nate Nacino, got in on the action at the end by putting down the match-winning block.

“Braeden has been our rock since last year,” Mraz said. “He’s always consistent for us.”

Junior right side hitter Sean Kane led Providence with four kills. Junior outside hitter Adam DeRubertis and senior outside hitter Carmen Pecho each added three kills, while junior right side hitter/setter Jack Tess (eight assists), and senior setter Mitch Bartecki (six assists) also contributed for the Celtics, who were the No. 8 seed in the O’Fallon Subsectional, and upset No. 6 seeded Lincoln-Way Central, 25-17, 25-20, on Monday in a regional quarterfinal.

“Last night was a nice win over the second-place team in the SouthWest Suburban Conference,” Providence coach Lee Rucinski said of the victory over the Knights. “We were down 9-1 and ended the second set there on a 24-11 spurt. But it’s tough to keep coming back at this level.

“Give Lockport a lot of credit. They have too many weapons. But we showed growth at the end of the season.”

The Herald-News/Shaw Media Local News Network