BOLINGBROOK -- With tears welling up her eyes, Oswego boys volleyball coach Erica Lorenz described what she hoped she'd never face this year -- a postseason loss.
It wasn't just the Panthers' 25-16, 25-17 setback against Neuqua Valley (34-3) in a Bolingbrook Sectional semifinal Friday that upset the young coach. It was the fact that a talented group fell short of expectations.
"I don't think they played how they can," Lorenz said. "That's what's most disappointing. Neuqua is a good team and has a good program, but they didn't play up to their potential."
Down 14-13 in the first game and battling point for point with the Wildcats, the Panthers (22-7) hit a rough patch.
"We made a few errors and that set the tone for the rest of the game," senior Jake Wollenberg said. "They're ranked fifth in the state for a reason. They're all great players."
Wollenberg finished with seven kills -- five early in the first game. But the Wildcats closed the set with a 12-4 run, clicking on all cylinders -- serving, attacking, blocking.
"Staying with them 14-13 was pretty good," Lorenz said. "After their team made a couple runs, we just made mental mistakes -- not physical, mental."
Outside hitter Rob Bauer led the Wildcats with 11 kills and five digs, while Derek Menendez had seven kills and three blocks and Alex Onsager recorded 23 assists.
"No matter what, if you play one bad match, you go home," Neuqua coach Erich Menendez said. "We served them tough. The blocks were there and we forced them to tip, which we expected. We were ready on defense and we ran our offense well. We did what we wanted to do."
Oswego graduates four seniors, including Wollenberg and libero Jimmy Sippel, but will return several key players in setter Mark Meurer (seven assists, six digs) and outside hitter Joe Kwiatkowski (six assists, five digs).
But will it be enough to offset losing Wollenberg, the two-time Southwest Prairie Conference Player of the Year?
"Last year, I lost a lot of seniors," Lorenz said. "I think it was amazing that the players I had this year made it as far as they did. (The juniors), they got a taste of it. They know what it takes to get here. That's something we have to push at the very beginning of the season. You have to work very hard to finish your season in June."
Meurer, for one, is ready to get back.
"We have some juniors who are playing club and some sophomores who are going to play more in the summer," Meurer said of the challenge. "We have to work hard, stay focused and play as a team."
Wollenberg was visibly frustrated after his last high school match, summing up his volleyball experience at the same time.
"It was great," he said of playing at Oswego. "The coaches were fun, the players were fun. It was a good time; we just didn't produce." Boys Volleyball: Bolingbrook Sectional
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