Spring sports review: Boys volleyball

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

The Trojans’ season of almost but not quite ended when they almost advanced to the sectional final but lost the fifth set to South Central, 15-13, thanks to five service errors and three hitting errors.
Momentum in the regular season reached a high point when Chesterton won its first two games in a match at Lake Central, at which point junior star outside hitter Zane Westerlund’s back pain barked louder than ever. The Trojans couldn’t close the deal and Westerlund’s long absence derailed them.
Westerlund recovered in time for the sectional and so did the Trojans until the unforced errors in the final set of the sectional semifinal prevented them from advancing to the title match. They finished 23-9 overall and placed fourth in the DAC with a 9-5 mark.
Despite that, the program made strides under first-year head coach Cathy Dilbeck and have cause for heading into next season with optimism.
All-DAC
Chesterton: Declan Ringler, Zane Westerlund, Peyton Dilbeck.
Lake Central: Juan Flores, Brady Cook, Danny Smith, Nelko Dragulski.
Valparaiso: Owen Morris, Mason Formenti, Henry Danko.
MVP: Danny Smith, Lake Central.
Crown Point: Isaac Beard, Evan Orga.
Final DAC standings: 1. Lake Central, 2. Valparaiso, 3. Crown Point, 4. Chesterton, 5. Portage, 6. Merrillville, 7 tie. LaPorte, Michigan City.
Chesterton awards
MVP: Declan Ringler.
Trojan Award: Carson Chafee.
Mental Attitude: Caden Koedyker.
Kill leader: Zane Westerlund.
Dig leader: Adam LeNeave.
Ace leader: Peyton Dilbeck.
Assist leader: Keith Ward.
Block leader: Randall Deutscher III.