Spikers Expect Plenty Of Senior Moments

When he first joined the staff at Chute Middle School, Stanley Antoine spent time reminding the guys he passed in the hallways between classes just how much fun it would be for them to play volleyball and promoted the sport he loves whenever he could.

Now all of that public relations work could pay off for the Evanston Township head boys volleyball coach.

With a roster flush with seniors who he first encountered as middle school hopefuls, Antoine believes the Kits can challenge some of the state’s best in the Central Suburban League South division and perhaps make a deep run in the state tournament series, too.

The Wildkits opened Monday with a 25-16, 25-25-17 triumph over Niles West at Beardsley Gym behind 9 kills from outside hitter Tyler Tang. And with 9 seniors on the squad --- actually 10 if you count injured setter Levi Martin, who is sidelined following knee surgery last month --- the best may be yet to come in a sport where experience is more important than in most other sports.

Volleyball is an endeavor where every mistake results in a point being awarded, and the more experienced ballhandlers any squad has, the better off they’ll be.

Just ask Niles West. The Wolves didn’t pass particularly well and missed a total of 8 serves in the 2024 opener for both teams, while Evanston limited its mistakes to the point where you could count them on one hand.

That’s the kind of overall play Antoine expects from a group that is trying to improve on last year’s 19-17 won-loss record. He’s hoping for plenty of senior moments.

“I’ve known these seniors for a long time, and this is a hungry group,” Antoine said. “We didn’t make too many unforced errors tonight and I thought we played really well as a team, especially when we were out of our system.

“As a coaching staff, we know these guys so well that it expedites our decision making. And we have a really competitive gym in practice. We’ve been growing and improving over the past couple of years and they’re hungry now for some team success. Our slogan is ETA --- Effort, Teamwork, Accountability --- and the players are constantly pushing themselves and the coaches, reminding us about those values every day. We all know we have to live up to those values to make what we want to happen, happen.

“We’ve experienced this journey together and I was always in the ear about playing volleyball when they were in 7th grade. Their passion and their energy is what led them here, and I’m excited about where it can take them next.”

It won’t be easy for the Wildkits to replace graduated 6-foot-9 middle hitter Aidan Klein, now playing at Loyola University. But at times last season the Kits got caught waiting for Klein to do all the heavy lifting and didn’t shift into attack mode when they needed to back up their leading hitter.

Monday, three different players --- Henry Vanden Heuvel, Tang and Kaloyan Mirtchev --- accounted for Evanston’s first kills of the 2024 season and that’s the kind of balance that can take a team a long way.

Tang’s dynamic play on offense and defense was the key to the Kits’ success in their debut. He’s one of three returning starters, along with Dillon Marlow-Williams and Dillon Barnes, and now it’s his chance to shine.

“Tyler’s always been an impact player for us, with his mentality in the lockerroom. That’s why he was a co-captain as a junior,” Antoine pointed out. “It was awesome to see him contribute so much ON the court tonight, not just in the lockerroom.

“Playing with a Division I player last year, they could sit back and just play a role out there. Now everyone knows they need to play a larger role.”

Tang isn’t the only Kit who has stepped up in the early going. Danny Gordon, another senior, appears to have grown into the role as the starting libero to help give the ETHS defense and passing game a boost.

“I used to be a libero myself, and I know because of that I’m harder on the liberos and the setters,” said Antoine. “I’m always telling Danny that I want him to be tougher than I was. We’ve been looking for him to become the No. 1 libero for awhile now, and as a senior he’s bringing more of an intensity level, more focus and more maturity.”

Evanston never trailed in either set Monday. The Wildkits broke out to a 10-2 advantage in the first set and capitalized on four missed serves from the visitors to maintain a double digit lead. Malow-Williams, who ranked second on the team behind Klein in the kill department last season, scored the last two points at the net to deliver a 25-16 win.

In the second set, a missed serve by Malow-Williams allowed West to creep within 16-11. But Tang responded with a kill in a scramble situation and the Wolves never got closer than five points the rest of the way.