NT’s William Wolf tries to put one away during the state quarterfinals. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
Niko Gjaja has a pretty good idea where he’ll be at this time next year.
At Hoffman Estates High School — in the stands, as a rabid New Trier boys volleyball fan during a 2018 state quarterfinal.
“It’s a great time to be a part of New Trier volleyball,” the Princeton-bound Gjaja said minutes after his career as a New Trier setter ended with a 20-25, 25-18, 25-15 loss to eventual state runner-up Lincoln-Way East in a state quarterfinal at HEHS June 2.
“I enjoyed being associated with a perennial state contender, and I expect to be back here in a year, going nuts for next year’s New Trier team.”
Bold words?
Not really. “New Trier boys volleyball” has become synonymous with “State finals qualifier”.
New Trier’s 2017 squad (35-5) secured the program’s fourth straight Elite Eight appearance on May 30, nearly a year after the Trevians finished runner-up at state.
“Our seniors were truly outstanding this year,” NT coach Sue Ellen Haak said. “If you were to see them in a hallway at the school, you’d be able to say, right away, ‘There’s a leader, there’s another leader, and there’s yet another leader.’ Captain material, all of them. Role models.
“Our seniors were like big brothers to our juniors.”
Senior outside hitter Kieran Hutchison and junior middle blocker Joe D’Attomo paced NT’s attack with eight kills apiece in last weekend’s three-set loss to Lincoln-Way East — a rematch of a 2016 state quarterfinal, in which NT won in three sets.
“Everybody on this team connected so well from Day 1,” said the 6-foot-6 D’Attomo, an all-Central Suburban League South selectee who has verbally committed to Loyola University.
D’Attomo wasn’t just the Trevians’ leader in blocks this spring; he also fired up his teammates with an airborne display of pure joy following one of his thunderous kills or one of his resounding blocks.
See ball hit hardwood.
See D’Attomo soar — and hear him roar.
“Our sparkplug,” Gjaja said.
“I’ve always been one to show a lot of emotion out there,” D’Attomo said.
D’Attomo was a basketball player several years ago before he decided to join a volleyball club with classmate Brian Kaiser, a right-side hitter who has verbally committed to play football at Northwestern.
D’Attomo has some good volleyball genes — his mother, Betsy, was a 5-11 middle blocker who had received college scholarship offers as a high school student-athlete in Iowa.
“Great personality,” Haak said of Joe D’Attomo, who smacked a kill and elevated for a block on successive points early in last weekend’s second state quarterfinal. “When Joe did something well this season, or when Joe got excited after a point, guys fed off it.”
NT’s guys could smell a second consecutive helping of state-semifinal action when they won the first set of their quarterfinal against Lincoln-Way East’s Griffins (33-7). A D’Attomo kill stretched NT’s lead to 20-17, and a kill from Hutchison upped the advantage to 24-19.
But Lincoln-Way East produced an 8-2 run in the second set to take a 17-11 lead and never trailed by more than four points for the rest of the middle stanza.
A kill by East’s Mike Herlihy (11 kills in the match) on the Griffins’ first set point forced a third set.
“We flipped our lineup to get better blocking matchups in the second and third [sets], and our kids served aggressively,” Lincoln-Way East coach Kristopher Fiore said. “Great quarterfinal matchup. New Trier is so big and physical. Huge. We’re pretty tall, too. A variety of kids put the ball away for us.
“What I liked most about our effort today was our hitting percentage of nearly .350 [.348]. That’s hard to do against a team with a 34-5 record.”
East started the decisive set with a 5-0 spurt, prompting Haak to use a timeout. The Griffins won the next point and later built a 15-7 lead with another substantial run (5-1).
“With New Trier’s size, I knew I couldn’t go to the same hitter on every point,” Lincoln-Way East senior setter Jake Snyder (37 assists) said. “I had to spread it out, make sure everybody was an option.
“It was a setter’s dream out there,” he added.
Snyder’s counterpart, Gjaja, finished with 28 assists. Trevians senior Billy Fauntleroy had five kills and struck a team-high two aces; Kaiser and senior middle blocker Jack Werd drilled three kills apiece; and senior libero Ruben Greenstein finished with seven digs.
“New Trier,” said Griffins senior outside hitter Jason Szara,” is a fantastic team.”
Notable: New Trier boys volleyball coach Sue Ellen Haak’s career mark at the school stood at 454-155 (.745) after the state quarterfinal loss to Lincoln-Way East on June 2. She started coaching Trevians in 2002. Each of her last four teams won at least 30 matches, after her 2013 club had totaled 29 victories in 35 matches. … Lincoln-Way East coach Kristopher Fiore noted about half of his 2017 roster included former players from Lincoln-Way North, which closed its doors in June 2016. “We’re in a unique situation,” he said after his Griffins defeated NT’s Trevians in a three-set quarterfinal last weekend. … New Trier junior right-side hitter Brian Kaiser sported white athletic tape around his ailing right wrist and shoulder for the state quarterfinal against Lincoln-Way East last weekend. He was about a roll of tape short of attaining mummy status. … NT senior tri-captain Kieran Hutchison, on tri-captains Niko Gjaja and Billy Fauntleroy: “I learned a lot from them; they helped me develop as a captain.”
Kieran Hutchison (No. 20) makes a play at the net. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
Billy Fauntleroy bumps the ball during state tourney action. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
NT’s Joe D’Attomo goes all in a kill attempt. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
NT’s Joe Lim competes at state. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
Fans cheer on the Trevians at state tourney. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER