:quality(70):focal(929x870:939x880)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/E57HGEQTJZCJXFZNNRPAAEWDZA.jpg)
NEW LENOX – It’s pretty common in just about every sport. In baseball, pitchers want to be hitters, and hitters want to be pitchers. In football, running backs want to be linebackers, and defensive backs want to be receivers.
In volleyball, back-row players usually want a chance to shine in the front row.
Lincoln-Way West sophomore Colin Baikie got his chance Wednesday night against Providence Catholic. With an injury to middle hitter David Neylon, the Warriors moved outside hitter Hunter Vedder to the middle and gave Baikie, normally a back-row defensive specialist, a chance to play in the front row in Vedder’s spot.
It might be hard to move Baikie out of the front row after he delivered a team-high seven kills in helping the Warriors (7-2) beat the Celtics 25-18, 25-19.
“I played some with the varsity last year as a freshman, but it was just in the back row,” Baikie said. “I usually play outside in club ball, so I know the position. I like to play all around the court, but it was fun to get out there tonight and be able to swing.
“It’s a little different. When I am in the back row, I am trying to bring the ball up all the time. In the front row, I want to hit it down. I like playing in the front row, but I am pretty good in the back row. As long as I am on the court, I like it.”
West coach Jodi Frigo was happy, but not surprised, with Baikie’s performance.
“Colin does this in practice all the time,” Frigo said. “It wasn’t a surprise. In club, he plays both libero and outside hitter, so we know he can do it. He played a lot in the back row last year for us.
“One of the great things about this team is that we can play everyone in almost every match and they will get to see time anywhere on the court.”
Providence (3-7) held a 5-4 lead early in the first set before Baikie and teammate Colin Dargan each had two kills and Vedder added one in a 5-0 spurt that put the Warriors ahead for good. Dargan finished with four kills, while Mason Thompson had three, and Vedder and Drew Kregul each had two. Ryne Ferree had 12 assists and Aidan Kettelson had three, while Andrew Flores had 11 digs.
Lincoln-Way West didn’t waste any time in the second set, jumping out to a 7-2 lead on the strength of kills from Baikie, Dargan and Kregul. Baikie added another kill to make it 10-3. Providence closed to within 11-7 after a block and a kill by Hayden Hill. After West moved out to a 19-12 lead, Providence scored five straight points, including an ace by Jackson Fowler and a kill by Omar Torreblanca, to close to within 19-17. West, however, ended the set on a 6-2 run to close out the match.
“We were out there having fun tonight,” Frigo said. “We had a long week off with spring break with no matches. We wanted to use the whole bench and go out and have fun.”
There wasn’t a lot of fun on the Providence side.
“We didn’t get much going tonight,” Providence coach Lee Rucinski said. “Lincoln-Way West is a veteran team that brings most of the guys back from last year [when they advanced to the state quarterfinals]. We like to schedule them because we can use it as a measuring stick to see how we match up with one of the best teams in the state.
“Kudos to West. They didn’t take us lightly, they played their game, and they took us out of our game. Hayden Hill played well tonight. He is the heart and soul of this team. I know every time out there that he is going to give 110% and leave it all on the floor with no regrets.”