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Chesterton boys volleyball 25-5 season comes to an end in the sectional championship match with a 3-0 loss to Washington Township

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Airborn Chesterton seniors Jack Rodrigez, left, and Bryton Oliver supply more aerial highlights in sectional championship vs. Washington Township but it wasn’t enough to stave off 3-0 loss.

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

The contest on the floor was lopsided, but the love shown from both fan bases when the final point landed was not.
Washington Township handled Chesterton easily in the sectional final Saturday night at Michigan City, 25-16, 25-19, 25-13, and when it was over, supporters of both teams rose to their feet and gave their teams prolonged standing ovations.
Fans of Washington Township applauded the Senators for a match so well played, for a sectional title and for extending the season.
Spectators backing the Trojans showered them with gratitude for entertaining them all spring with such a successful season in the first year of IHSAA-sanctioned boys volleyball.
Chesterton went 25-5 and in DAC play finished second with a 12-2 record. The senior-dominated team launched the program in a winning direction and set the bar high for teams that will follow.
The support didn’t go unnoticed from the players and coaches.
“I think we showed what we can do, I mean not tonight, but throughout this entire season,” Chesterton senior Jack Rodriguez said. “From the start, we all put in our all. It just didn’t come together at all tonight and that’s upsetting, but our fans are always there and they’re always cheering, and we love it.”
The night started well for the Trojans as they bunched highlight plays from seniors George O’Connor, Bryton Oliver and Rodriguez on the way to a 7-3 lead in the first set.
From there, it was all Senators, just about all the time. They didn’t beat themselves, played air-tight defense and kept the pressure on the Trojans the whole way.
“They’re just really scrappy and they can put the ball over the net, and they were aggressive, and we just didn’t stick it to them. I don’t know,” Rodriguez said. “They dug almost all their passes, and they played a great game. You have to give it to them. We’re a hard team and they just played hard.”
After winning the first two sets, the Senators played like a bunch of teenagers in a hurry to get to the prom, which happened to be the case. Some of their dates came to the game dressed for the dance, making it an even more memorable night for the victors.
“It’s just one of those days where that was their show-up day and it wasn’t ours, so congrats to Washington Township,” Chesterton coach Kevin Labaj said. “They played one heck of a game, and we just hope that we can perform better going forward.”
After a gap of several years without a boys club volleyball program, the Trojans brought it back for the two years that it was an emerging sport before becoming a full-fledged one this season. They closed the gap in a hurry on many more experienced programs.
“I wasn’t sure coming into the season what we were going to end up being,” Labaj said. “I knew we were going to have an above .500 season, for sure, but I wasn’t sure past that, so I was really happy with how the season went. I wish it was a different finish, but other than that, I thought it went really well.”
Having such a strong season that generated interest that extended well beyond the families of the players was significant in that it gained instant popularity for the sport, hastening its growth.
“I feel like we got it on the map now and there are people coming to watch, cheering us on,” Rodriguez said. “There are going to be new guys next year, I know for a fact, and it’s going to be great.”
The support from spectators amounted to the first step toward healing the emotional wounds of the loss.
“We’re very appreciative of our fans,” Labaj said. “They gave great support through the thick and thin all season long. We wouldn’t have gone as far as we did without them.”

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