Boys Volleyball Regional: Brother Rice romps past Marist
By Tim O’Brien tobrien@southtownstar.com May 23, 2012 11:32PM
Matt Kill (22) and Ryan Paull (21), of Brother Rice, block a Marist shot for the Brother Rice Boys Volleyball Regional Championship, Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012 in Chicago, IL. | Gary Middendorf~For Sun-Times Media
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Updated: July 3, 2012 8:55AM
In wrapping their regular-season schedules last week, Brother Rice soundly defeated host Marist in two quick games.
All the while the Crusaders knew that a possible rematch loomed if both teams advanced to the Brother Rice Regional final, meaning that regular season win didn’t mean much.
Playing for the second time this season, Brother Rice showed the first time around was no fluke. Hosting Marist on Wednesday, the Crusaders used a dominant Game 2 to score 25-23, 25-9 victory.
The regional title was the Crusaders’ first since 2010.
“We kind of saw (a performance like that) last week, but this one was on our home court,” Brother Rice’s Joe Pochinskas said. “It was for (coach) Br. Paul Ickes, and it was just unbelievable.”
Pochinskas and Mitch Weiler had six kills apiece for Brother Rice (25-12), with Cody Leahy (10 digs), Dan Dwyer (16 assists) and Ryan Paull (3 kills, 3 blocks) also contributing.
Brother Rice will play Lincoln-Way North at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Lincoln-Way East Sectional semifinal.
Tony Natalino (4 kills, 4 blocks), Tim Small (8 digs) and John Yerkes (4 kills) led Marist (23-14).
Narrowly pulling out a win in a back-and-forth first game, Paull and the Crusaders left no doubt in Game 2. Three Paull blocks, plus a kill, highlighted a 9-0 game-opening run. The Crusaders steamrolled to the win, going up 14-1 and later 24-5.
“I don’t know if it was chemistry or we just got ticked off,” Paull said. “It worked out really well. I think we just started working with the whole court.”
This is the first season since 2007 Marist has not advanced to the sectional.
“We were a play away in Game 1, and it went the other way,” Marist coach Bob St. Leger said. “When it started to go, there was no reason it happened. Give Rice credit, but in that second game all they had to do was serve it over the net. It was one error after another.”
