Phil Brozynski’s boys volleyball notes

THREE THINGS WE KNOW

No. 1: Under the current system, one of the top two teams in the state — either Lincoln-Way North or Lincoln-Way East — will watch the state finals from the stands. “When I was in high school at Lincoln-Way, it was the same thing,” North coach Matt Lawrence said. “We had to play Sandburg to go to state. I’ll never forget seeing teams at state that we had beaten during the year. That’s just of the reality of how it is.”

No. 2: Metea Valley will host Bartlett at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29 as part of a fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project. Local veterans will be honored prior to the varsity game. T-shirts will be on sale for $10 and a silent auction will be held to benefit the project. Among the items being auctioned are Blackhawks tickets for next season, overnight accommodations at the Sheraton Chicago, golf for two at Willowcrest in Oak Brook and various gift cards.

No. 3: Players like Christian Ales and Tyler Mitchem have Bolingbrook’s program on the upswing, but a loss to Lincoln-Way North Monday showed there’s still room for growth. “We played Lincoln-Way West last week,” coach Andrea Bercot said. “They’re a great team. We’ve been struggling against those top-caliber teams. Middle tier, lower tier, we’re fine. We hang with them, win the games. We have the pieces to be competitive with the better teams, we just have to come out swinging.”