Lincoln-Way East’s Joey Abbeduto decided to study some film Sunday night on Sandburg.
But he wasn’t watching the 2025 edition of the Eagles. Instead, Abbeduto was getting inspiration from watching Sandburg’s 1996 boys volleyball team that won the state championship.
“My dad (Matthew) played on that team,” Abbeduto said. “I knew we were playing Sandburg and I just wanted to watch him. He was really good on defense.
“He played outside hitter for his club. He was really bouncy and had hops.”
His mother, Nicole Hnatio, also starred in a volleyball for Sandburg in the mid-1990s.
With Joey being a junior outside hitter for the Griffins, his parents were in an unusual position Tuesday night of cheering for Lincoln-Way East in their old stomping ground of Sandburg’s gym.
Abbeduto gave his parents plenty to cheer about. He racked up six kills, five digs, an ace and a block assist to help the Griffins take a 25-22, 25-21 SouthWest Suburban Conference victory.
Lindenwood-bound Matthew Muehlnickel led Lincoln-Way East (14-2, 4-0) with 11 kills and seven digs. Nick Klawitter added six kills, while Carter Geiger and Grant Urban each totaled five. Dylan Nanney chalked up 17 assists and Will Hubatch had 14.
Princeton recruit Jeremiah Aro finished with 10 kills for Sandburg (18-3, 1-1), which came in ranked No. 13 in the nation by the USA Today/American Volleyball Coaches Association. JT Snider tallied five kills.
Abbeduto, meanwhile, set the tone by opening the match with five straight service points.
“He’s not overpowering with his serves,” Lincoln-Way East coach Kris Fiore said. “It not all about necessarily getting an ace every time, but it’s trying to get them out of their offensive rhythm.
“That’s huge, especially against a team like Sandburg, which has great, big, dynamic hitters. You have to do what you can to keep them off their rhythm. I thought he did a good job like that.”
The 5-foot-11 Abbeduto knew the Griffins could use a lift early — and a 5-0 lead did the trick.
“I wanted to get us off to a hot start and get the boys going,” he said. “I wanted to bring some high energy. When I’m serving, I just want to stay consistent.
“When the ball goes out, obviously it’s the other team’s point. If you stay consistent, you don’t have to rip it to get a good defensive scramble play. Just get that ball in.”
As a hitter, Abbeduto’s size doesn’t do him any favors. But he adapts.
“I have to be smarter,” he said. “I’m going to go against the big blocks, so I have to hit around them.”
Abbeduto picked up his defensive chops from his father. Overall, he’s the complete package, according to Muehlnickel.
“He definitely has a lot of value on the court,” Muehlnickel said of Abbeduto. “He gives a lot of effort. He brings up spirits on the court. He’s very dynamic and he can do anything.
“He can serve out of his mind. Hitting-wise, he gets a lot of kills with minimal errors. That’s what Joey beings to us.”
Abbeduto confirmed his parents never pressured him into playing volleyball. His first love actually was baseball, but that sport turned out to be a little too slow for him.
He decided to give volleyball a shot and has loved it ever since.
“I like that it’s a high-energy game with big kills and people screaming your name and yelling, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, let’s go,’” he said.
But on Tuesday night, when Abbeduto was ready to serve in the second game, someone from Sandburg’s student section loudly critiqued his ability in an unkind manner.
“I guess he was proven wrong,” Abbeduto said with a smile.
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
