By Jeff Vorva
Correspondent
Marist was scary good in the first set.
The RedHawks won it 25-12.
Even by Marist standards, that’s pretty impressive. Complete dominance.
What’s even more stunning is that it came against the second-ranked team in the nation.
The RedHawks, who came into the match ranked sixth in the country in the USA Today/American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, knocked off national No. 2 Glenbard West, 25-12, 21-25, 25-23, on April 27 to win the Lincoln-Way East Invitational in Frankfort.
The victory came one week after West beat Marist, 25-23, 25-21, in the Brother Rice Smack Attack. The loss was the first for Glenbard West since Lyons beat them in two sets on May 16, 2023.
The two national titans will battle again on May 9 in Mount Greenwood.
Marist’s Christian Teresi wins the MVP award at the Lincoln-Way East Invitational. Photo by Jeff Vorva
Marist (24-2) made the two-time defending state champion Hilltoppers look out of sorts and frustrated in the lopsided first set. West (23-1) wasn’t going to go down without a fight, however, and regrouped and slugged it out with the RedHawks the rest of the way.
While RedHawks coach Jordan Vidovic enjoyed watching his team dismantle the perennial power Hilltoppers in the opening set, he was happier with his team’s performance in the second and third.
“I’m glad we had to gut it out the way we did,” Vidovic said. “I feel like [Glenbard West] made some good adjustments. They really elevated their defense. Nothing came easy.
“It would have been possible to let it get to us a little bit. But we hung with it and hung with it and did our thing. I think that shows us a lot going forward to take off with.”
Junior setter-hitter Christian Teresi was named MVP of the tournament after finishing with 43 kills, 83 assists, 10 blocks, 12 aces and 33 digs. Teresi, an Ohio State commit, was stinging for a week after the loss to West at the Smack Attack.
“We knew what we were coming up against after playing them at the Brother Rice tournament,” Teresi said. “After the practices that we had, we knew that we had a chance to play them again, and the energy that we had throughout this tournament just built up to this one set.”
Luke Brannigan, who was named to the all-tournament team, had eight kills and 12 digs in the title match. Griffin McElroy had six kills and four blocks and Nathen Toth added eight kills.
“We’ve been struggling with our offense,” Brannigan said. “In our two losses (to Glenbard West and Mira Costa, California), you would notice that our offense was slower. In the first set [in the West rematch], we really amped up our tempo and everyone was just kind of doing their thing.”
Marist’s Luke Brannigan attacks during a match against Glenbard West on April 27 in Frankfort. Photo by Jeff Vorva