Trevians take thrilling sectional finale to earn state berth

The best teams’ best qualities shine brightest in the postseason.

New Trier boys volleyball provided an example of that message, putting all of their first-class characteristics on display during a thrilling victory over the Libertyville Wildcats in the sectional final on Tuesday, June 3, in Barrington.

The No. 3 Trevians’ three-set triumph (23-25, 25-23, 25-19) over the top-seeded Wildcats (31-5) sends New Trier back to the state tournament for the first time since 2022 and eighth time since 2014.

New Trier found itself in a precarious situation on Tuesday after the Wildcats rallied from a late four-point deficit to take the match’s opening set. The Trevians then trailed deep into the second set, but they stormed back to take the final two sets in dramatic fashion.

“I’m so proud of this team,” New Trier coach Sue Ellen Haak said. “This team is full of resilience. They have been a comeback team all season. They have fought all season. They are poised under pressure. They don’t have big reactions to momentum swings on the court and that’s been our biggest strength — they are a unified team of guys who trust each other and believe in each other and that’s helped us to overcome a bunch.”

In the key second set, senior outside hitter Charlie Tinsley’s kill leveled the score at 22, and the Trevs then took their first lead since of the set since an early 3-2 advantage. The Wildcats punched back to even the score, but the Trevians took the next two points to claim the set.

A key to the second-set turnaround was the Trevians’ ability to quickly side out, Haak said, noting that’s a quality they’ve showcased all season.

“We’ve really been practicing siding out quickly so that all we have to do sometimes is get one or two service points each time we go back to the line, so that if we side out quickly, we can come back in any game,” Haak added.

The beginning of the decisive third set played out exactly like one would expect from two top-tier teams vying to keep their seasons alive.

Libertyville opened a three-point advantage at 9-6, but New Trier never let the Wildcats pull away.

Then, about midway through the set, the Trevians took control and never looked back.

Junior outside hitter Oliver Potterfield delivered a series of key kills that not only put the Trevs back in contention but also propelled them to a sizable lead.

Potterfield smashed home a point that gave the Trevs a 18-14 lead and sparked a Wildcats’ timeout.

Libertyville then showed signs of life, narrowing the gap to three points, but another key strike from Potterfield gave New Trier a 21-17 advantage.

“Oliver has been the firepower for us all season,” Haak said. “He has been our go-to hitter under pressure. He’s developed so many shots, plus he’s our most powerful hitter, so we trust him with the ball.”

Tinsley, one of the Trevs’ senior captains, said the team made it a priority to set up Potterfield more in the latter half of the match.

“He jumps lights out and he will swing away and there’s no blocker who scares him,” Tinsley said. “Once he figures it out and finds his confidence, that’s it. It’s just point after point after point.”

With the score at 24-19, it was Tinsley who delivered the game-winning point for the Trevs, putting the finishing touches on a signature comeback win.

“Those last few points were just back and forth, we had some crazy rallies in there and in the end,” Tinsley said. “I think Kennan (Roderick, who recorded the game-winning assist) just had trust in me putting the ball away and I trusted him to put the ball in the right place at all moments and being able to score a point like that. … I was absolutely going ballistic with my family, friends and teammates,”

The Trevians’ victory Tuesday night highlighted what the team’s leaders described as the group’s toughness.

“Our ability to respond to adversity, our ability to bounce back, that’s who we are this year and I think that’s because we’ve had so many injuries, we’ve had struggles (at times) … but we’ve just built this ability to fight,” Potterfield said. “I think that’s the most pivotal part of our team. I couldn’t be prouder of everyone.”

New Trier has now won six matches in a row, finding their rhythm at the perfect time of the season. Haak noted that a key to the Trevians’ recent run is the team returning to full form after battling injuries and illness throughout the campaign.

“We’re a really good team when everybody is here and everybody is here now,” she said.

The Trevians advance to the state quarterfinals to take on perennial powerhouse Glenbard West (34-5) at 10:30 a.m. Friday, June 6, in Hoffman Estates. The Hilltoppers have captured five state championships since 2015, including a 2016 win over the Trevs and a three-peat from 2015-17.

A return trip to state is a fitting outcome for a New Trier program that’s been a fixture at the event for the better part of the last decade.

“We had a long run of going to the state tournament and then COVID hit and we’ve been kind of bumpy ever since. We’ve been looking for that team to really come together and take us through and this was the group,” Haak said.

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