RBHS volleyball back on court with another large senior group

Senior all-conference middle hitter Alec Oltrogge finds strength in the Riverside Brookfield High School boys volleyball team’s experienced roster.

“My encouragement comes from the drive I get from within my teammates,” Oltrogge said. “We have a lot of great guys with all different experiences that are just really hungry for victory. I think it’s just really awesome to see such incredible people that I get to play with in the most team-centered sport there is. And I’m encouraged to do my best.”  

With eight seniors, the Bulldogs have a veteran group from last year’s 13-24-1 team that lost to Sandburg 25-21, 25-21 in the Sandburg Regional semifinals. Now in the Upstate Eight Conference, the Bulldogs won their final Metro Suburban Conference season with a 3-1 record after capturing their first conference title ever in 2023 with a perfect 7-0 record among eight MSC teams.

The Bulldogs (4-2) won their season opener 25-12, 25-22 over visiting Morton on March 26 and went 3-2 at the Marist Invite Friday and Saturday. 

“We want to compete for the conference championship always and four quality tournaments. We want to be competitive in those,” RBHS coach Dan Bonarigo said. “Just play hard, be in every game, give ourselves a chance to win.” 

Oltrogge was among the Bulldogs’ three 2024 All-MSC players after being third on the team with 111 kills and a team-best 48 blocks.

“He’s been a mainstay for us. He’s a good leader, good blocker, good hitter,” Bonarigo said. Seniors James Long (104 kills), Jack Schejbal (97 kills), Cole Rubio (55 kills, 17 aces), Liam Keohane (275 assists, team-best 22 aces, 113 digs) and TJ Austin (109 digs) also saw significant time among the Bulldogs’ numerous starting lineups. 

Senior Jesus Jimenez also is a returning letter winner. Newcomers are senior Nick Rivera, juniors Noah Beals, John Bielobradek and Quinn Shipley and sophomore Giancarlo Crancich.

“We’re a very offensive-focused team,” Oltrogge said. “We’ve got a lot of big guys that can really put the ball down and great passers in our back row that can just move very quickly and get almost every ball.” 

In the opener, the Bulldogs’ starting lineup was Oltrogge, Long, Rivera, Rubio, Schejbal and Crancich with Austin at libero and Keohane, Bielobradek and Jimenez subbing in the back row. Crancich takes over at setter from the junior varsity.

“He’s doing a nice job, getting used to setting these guys. I think our outsides [Rubio and Schejbal] have really improved,” Bonarigo said. 

“Serving and passing [are our keys]. When we kind of let [Morton] back in the game, our passing broke down and we couldn’t run our offense. We served well and then we missed three times in a row and then it was a close game.” 

Another key is how rapidly the 6-foot-5 Rivera develops. The football and basketball player is in his first volleyball season after nearly considering the sport as a freshman.

“He’s an incredible athlete. I think he could pick up any sport and play it really well,” Oltrogge said. “We’re very senior heavy this year but it’s good because especially on the floor, we’ve been playing with each other since freshman year and developed a really strong bond.” 

LTHS boys volleyball

After back-to-back trips to the state finals, the Lions are clearly focused going into this season. Last year, the Lions lost in the state quarterfinals 25-20, 22-25, 25-15 to third-place Glenbard West after finishing a program-best second in 2023.

“[State] was a fantastic experience. The fact that over half of this year’s team got to be a part of that first-hand really helped set the standard for this year,” LTHS senior Vaughn Guilfoile said. “We learned that making a deep state run is a very possible outcome. Every team thinks they have a chance, but now we know exactly what it takes to make it there.”

The Lions graduated several key players from their 34-6 season but six returnees also saw action in that state quarterfinal — Guilfoile, seniors Tyler Chambers, Cooper Komsthoeft and Gavin Monckton and juniors Brody Lee-Caracci and Owen Carroll.

Also back from the postseason roster are seniors Patrick Ahrens, Brenik Griffin, Tobey McLaughlin and Matthew Rife. Newcomers are juniors Weston Aram, Michael Becker, Jack Hartman, Sebastian Myers, Roy Piagnarelli and Brady Schlichter.

“The expectation for the program has continued to grow with our success,” LTHS coach Brad Skendzel said. “Our strengths this year is our depth and camaraderie. We have multiple players who have the ability to step in. Our consistency and defense will be factors in our success.” 

The Lions are 2-0, beating Wheaton Warrenville South 25-23, 23-25, 25-22 Thursday and Brother Rice March 25. Returning libero Guilfoile (259) and the 6-5 Chambers (68) led the 2024 Lions in digs and blocks, respectively. Brody-Caracci (184) and Chambers (104) were third and fourth in kills and Komsthoeft was second in aces (30) along with 118 digs.

“There is talent everywhere on our team, but I think this team has chemistry like no other,” Guilfoile said. “This is my last shot. Me and a lot of guys in the same situation are gonna put it all out there to meet those expectations.”  

Chambers (Northern Illinois) and Komsthoeft (Case Western) were standout two-way linemen for the football team who will play collegiately. Chambers suffered a pre-season ankle injury. 

“Being able to go down to state (in volleyball) really helped us learn when it takes to be a top competing team,” Komsthoeft said. 

“I feel that one of our biggest strengths is our team camaraderie. A lot of us have been playing either club or high school for four years, which has led us to be a very tight group.”