Four Prospect players reached double-digit kills in a tight 15-9, 15-13 victory over Mid-Suburban South rival Hoffman Estates Thursday. Chris Pontarelli paced the fifth-ranked Knights (9-0, 2-0) with 15 kills, followed by Kevin Kowal, Chris Faust and Kevin Hallen, who each contributed 10.
“We have a diverse attack in the front row,” Prospect coach Mike Riedy noted. “Because of that, I don’t have a problem going to the weak side. I know they’ll handle the ball. With that type of attack, we can keep opponents off balance.”
Prospect trailed early in both games. The host Hawks led 6-1 in the opener before Prospect finally tied it at 9-9 and cruised the rest of the way behind Faust, a middle hitter who scored two of the final three points. Kowal, an outside hitter, accounted for the third.
“Kowal is our best all-around player,” Riedy added. “He’s done quite a job both in the front and back courts.”
Kowal and company took charge in the closing moments of the second game after Hoffman Estates (3-5, 1-1) rebounded from an 8-3 deficit to take a 13-11 lead. Marty Petricca tied the game with an ace, and pulled Prospect ahead 14-13 on a serve that the Hawks returned into the net. Kowal clinched the match with a thundering kill.
Hallen finished with 31 assists, and Arnaldo Cruz was perfect on all nine service returns. Pontarelli returned 15 of 16 serves. Faust paced the Knights with five block points.
Hoffman Estates kept the game close on the arm of middle hitter Paul Fasshauer, who recorded 12 kills.
