Stagg setter Patrick Roach was less than pleased with the energy his team showed in Game 1 of its home opener against St. Rita on Thursday night..
The finish was a different story.
Roach looked like the best player on the floor in dealing 18 assists, five kills and seven digs as Stagg rallied past St. Rita 17-25, 25-16, 25-23.
“We came out slow, out of energy, which was tough to see for the first home game of the year,” Roach said. “But I liked the way we fought back. We showed our true colors. Mike Neputy was hitting really well on the outside. We used him a lot and we played hard.”
Neputy put away a match-high 11 kills and Sean James added 18 digs for Stagg (2-0), which opened its season with a two-game victory over Richards. Roach added two aces and sparked a 7-0 lead in Game 2 from the service line.
“(Roach) is polished for a junior,” said Stagg coach Tim Kaczmarek, who is back with the program after a few years off. “I came in not knowing what I was getting, who I was getting, but the minute I saw him play in open gym. … That’s why he’s one of the captains.”
Jack Danaher paced St. Rita (0-1) with eight kills. Liam Kelly chipped in seven kills and some strong back row defense. Mike Long distributed 18 assists.
The Mustangs controlled the action early by feeding middle hitters Martin Goldrick (four kills) and Dave Landstrom, but Stagg slowly forced St. Rita from that plan of attack.
“We kind of stopped passing after the first game, and then we stopped serving as aggressively,” St. Rita first-year coach Brian Hagen said. “We were giving their libero (James) a lot of passes and he did a great job keeping them in system.”
The Mustangs had an opportunity to steal the match after taking an 18-15 lead in the third game on a block from Goldrick. But Stagg answered with three straight points and went up 20-19 on a kill from Neputy. The Chargers never trailed again.
“I think our serving got them out of system a lot more,” Roach said of the last two games. “We focused on some of their weaker passers and stayed away from No. 7 (Kelly), who is a really good passer. That gave them less hitting opportunities.”
Stagg and St. Rita could meet again as early as Saturday. Both teams are set to compete in the 24-team Marist Invitational starting Friday.
Lincoln-Way East 25-25, Homewood-Flossmoor 12-20: Nick Lilley put down 11 kills to power host Lincoln-Way East (1-0, 1-0) in the SouthWest Suburban Blue.
Joliet Catholic 25-25, Plainfield South 16-14: Aron Goeken had 23 assists and Blake Reardon added 10 kills to spur visiting Joliet Catholic (1-0).
Baseball
Andrew 6, Plainfield North 5: John McLaughlin (2 RBIs) singled home Ramon Padilla (2-for-4, 2 runs) in seventh inning to lift host Andrew (2-0).
Chicago Christian 5, Lincoln-Way East 2: Zach Frieling (2-for-3, 2 runs) swatted a two-run double to propel visiting Chicago Christian (6-0).
Sandburg 10, Lemont 0: Jim Roche (4 innings, 3 hits allowed) earned the win and also went 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs to boost visiting Sandburg (1-0) in the five-inning game.
Mount Carmel 9, Bremen 3: Malik Carpenter (double) contributed two runs and two RBIs in aiding host Mount Carmel (4-0).
Lincoln-Way West 12, Joliet Central 0: Steve Skolarz (4 innings, 8 strikeouts) and Trevor Dallio combined on a five-inning no-hitter to guide host Lincoln-Way West (2-0). Matt Monahan (2-for-4) had a two-run homer and three RBIs for the Warriors in the SouthWest Suburban crossover.
Providence 8, Plainfield East 4: Mike Madej (2-for-4, 2 run) homered, doubled and drove in two runs to spark visiting Providence (1-0).
Joliet Catholic 2, Lincoln-Way North 1: K.C. Simonich scored on an error in the bottom of the seventh to vault host Joliet Catholic (2-0). Drake Fellows (no earned runs) fanned seven over six innings for the Hilltoppers and Nick Dalesandro was 2-for-2 with an RBI.
St. Rita 7, Simeon 1: Danny Gleaves (RBI) chalked up three stolen bases and three runs for host St. Rita (6-0).
Softball
Joliet Catholic 12, Aurora Central Catholic 0: Alyssa Callans struck out nine in pitching a no-hitter for visiting Joliet Catholic (1-0) in the five-inning game. Brenna Garland went 3-for-4 with four runs scored and two RBI for the Angels.
Reavis 16, T.F. North 4: Ashley Galason (2-for-3, 3 runs) hit a three-run homer and totaled four RBI to pace visiting Reavis (3-1, 1-0) in the South Suburban crossover.
Girls Soccer
Chicago Christian 5, Guerin 2: Emily Lemmenes provided two goals and three assists for visiting Chicago Christian (1-2) in its Metro Suburban opener.
Stagg 1, Lincoln-Way West 0: Allison Stefan’s goal carried visiting Stagg (4-2) in the SouthWest Suburban crossover.
Andrew 3, Mother McAuley 0: Brooke Zidek scored twice and Nicole Novak tacked on a pair of assists to elevate visiting Andrew (3-1).
College Baseball
Joliet Junior College 11-8, Waubonsee 1-2: Matt Ramirez had two hits and two RBI in each game for host Joliet (5-12).
Purdue North Central (Ind.) 5-2, St. Xavier 3-17: Jim Augle (4-for-9, 4 runs) and Bryan Polak (3-for-8, 2 runs) contributed four RBI apiece for host St. Xavier (6-12, 4-6) in the CCAC crossover.
College Softball
Trinity Christian 15-13, Trinity International 7-4: Tori Grzincic (4-for-4, 3 runs, 5 RBI) swatted a three-run homer in the opener and Natalie Cannizzo (2-for-4, 2 runs, 4 RBI) did the same in Game 2 to key host Trinity Christian (6-10, 2-4) in the CCAC.
Purdue Calumet (Ind.) 11-0, St. Francis 5-10: Torey Borkowski (3-for-7, 4 RBI) hit two-run homers in both games for visiting St. Francis (11-7, 2-4) in the CCAC.
Men’s Volleyball
Lewis 25-25-25, Ball State 15-22-17: Geoff Powell (10 kills, 10 digs) and Scott Fifer (32 assists) steered host Lewis (18-2, 9-1) in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.
Logan Malloy is a freelance writer. Freelance writer Josh Krockey contributed to this story.
