Fremd’s “best match” sends it to the Elite Eight

Vikings defeat Lake Park in three games.

Published By John Juettner on 6/02/2010

The Fremd boys’ volleyball team displays its sectional championship plaque.
Story and Photos By: Charlie Burroughs
      Sometimes a game, like a story, is best told from the ending first.
      After all the kills, floor burns, digs and long volleys in the three game match Fremd’s victory over Lake Park on Tuesday evening can be summed up on that final play. With the ball in play off the Vikings’ serve, the Lancers appeared to have a game-tying kill. The ball deflected off one Viking player and the second volley was sent into the rafters. With the tying point dropping from the ceiling senior setter Steve Maring saved the point with a volley over his head near the back of the box.
      “Just the ability to get that ball back in play was just indicative of how we’ve played all season,” Fremd Coach Curt Pinley said. “We haven’t quit. There have been times when we haven’t played pretty and that wasn’t a pretty play right there, but we kept the ball off the floor until it was our time to terminate it, and we were able to on the next ball.”
      The next ball off the save was a block kill by senior outside hitter Jeff Chappell and senior outside hitter Brian Allen ending the game, 26-24.
      In the third and second game Allen created an offensive force not present in the first game for the Vikings who lost game one 25-15 to the Lancers. In the first game the Vikings lost six straight points after holding a close 19-15 match. The game was finished by two kills a piece by Lancer senior outside hitters Matej Mitev and Michael Kreiser. The Lancer combo consistently dug out Viking kills making hopes for a comeback slim. However, Allen and his teammates battled back in game two with four straight points to start the game.
      “I don’t know if it was defense,” Lake Park coach Brad Baker said about the Vikings turn around. “Number 13 (Allen) is just a good player. We were having a hard time controlling him.”
      Allen finished 29-of-30 on the attack with 15 kills. His teammate Maring placed the ball in position all night for Viking hitters with 28 assists. In game two, after the four point run to start the game the Vikings never let the Lancers take the lead. Still, with the game at a draw the No. 1 seeded Lancers and their seniors continued to kill the Viking defense with an aggressive senior attack.
      “Without our seniors we wouldn’t have been where we are,” Baker said.
      Those seniors for Lake Park were frustrating for an aggressive Allen who said normally some of his shots would have been kills Tuesday.
      “They were incredibly scrappy,” he said. “They played a great game it was a tough match.”
      Those Lancer seniors found themselves down 24-21 in game three. They battled back, though. And scored three straight points to tie it at 24. A kill by Chappell gave the Vikings the advantage and “The Play” won it moments later.
      The win puts the Vikings in the Elite Eight on Pinley’s 49th birthday. After the final point Pinley, like most of the fans and players, rejoiced and celebrated the hard fought win.
      “I tell you what, you can’t celebrate 49 any better way than right out here right now,” Pinley said. “What a fantastic match Lake Park is a great team, has been great all year, you have to play your best match and I think we did play our best match of the season at the right time. “

Fremd’s Eric Ciura (9) hangs in the air after trying to block a Lake Park attack.