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Sports

GBS Volleyball: Titans Win Home Opener, Honor Former Player Lost to Cancer

Glenbrook South improved to 2-0 for the season with a 25-20, 25-18 victory over non-conference foe York.

Welcome to Glenview Patch's newest feature! Each week during the spring sports season, Glenview Patch will cover a "Game of the Week" highlighting one of the Titans' best teams in an important match. Readers are encouraged to suggest games through e-mail or in the comments section.

This week, check out GBS' boys' volleybally match against York--

Many coaches will say that early-season games are more about gaining experience rather than worrying about the result. If a team can win, that's a bonus.

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Fighting through some early-season rust, improved to 2-0 with a 25-20, 25-18 victory over York Thursday night.

“We have to be up for every match we play whether we’re playing Marist like we are next week in the tournament or a York team tonight,” Glenbrook South coach Tim Monahan said. “We have to play up and we have to be ready to play everybody.”

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The Titans jumped out to an early 6-2 lead in the first game thanks to three straight violations from York. The Dukes were called for three lineup violations in the first game, most likely a product of playing in their first match of the season.

“When the game slows down from the ref stand, it’s hard for the guys to get fired up, so we weren’t getting in a groove,” Monahan said. “Brian Brennan did a nice job trying to pick the offense up, running it out of the middle and getting things going.”

Working in a couple of new starters, Glenbrook South struggled to pull away and, at times, looked less-than-fluid in its offense. But the Titans never let their lead fall below three points and Peter Rafalo’s kill closed out the first game for Glenbrook South.

“A lot of us played together last year and we took a couple new kids this year, but we’re really close as a team,” said Brennan, a starter on last year’s squad. “We have great communication and overall, everyone likes each other. The team chemistry is awesome.”

The Titans followed a similar story in the second game. Lucas Rytel had two productive service games, including two aces, that gave Glenbrook South a comfortable cushion. The Titans won the last four points of the game – one via a York red card – to close out the match.

Glenbrook South’s home opener was also “Bryan Paynter Night.” On behalf of Bryan, a 2004 graduate of Glenbrook South, the Titans raised money to fight Ewing’s Sarcoma. Bryan passed away from the disease in 2008 and Glenbrook South is closing in the $10,000 mark in their fundraising efforts.

“We’re here celebrating Bryan,” Monahan said. “He did a lot here at school and a lot after he graduated.”

During the 2007 season, Bryan served as a volunteer coach at Glenbrook South, often coming to practice immediately following his chemotherapy sessions.

Rytel finished with six kills and Rafalo contributed five kills for the Titans.

Glenbrook South will compete in the Wheaton Warrenville South Invite starting next Thursday.

“One thing we’re going to work on is passing and serving,” Brennan said. “As of right now we’re where we want to be, but we’re going to keep on working.”

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