Josh Bluhm savored the moment for Lockport.
The senior right-side hitter walked around the gym with the SouthWest Suburban Conference trophy for a few minutes Thursday night, and he had the biggest smile on his face.
It represented the first outright conference title in program history, and he appreciated what his team had just done.
“Coming into this year, that was one of my big goals,” Bluhm said. “Some of the other guys (Kevin Rodriguez and Evan Dziadkowiec) won a co-conference championship when they were freshmen on the varsity. But to win the conference championship for the first time is really big.”
The 6-foot-8 Bluhm also played really big. The left-handed hitter produced nine kills, two blocks and five digs as the host Porters swept past Lincoln-Way West 25-20, 25-22.
Erik Gonzalez added six kills for Lockport (29-3, 7-0), while Rodriguez had 10 digs and Dziadkowiec tallied 25 assists.
Loras-bound Connor Jaral led Lincoln-Way West (27-7, 6-1) with eight kills. Drew Kregul connected for six kills. Hunter Vedder had four kills and two blocks, with Noah Konopack contributing 16 assists and Andrew Flores adding nine digs.
The Warriors were the defending conference champion. Their last loss in the SWSC came against the Porters on May 11, 2022.
Bluhm, a William Penn recruit, is closing in on 300 kills for the season. He’s leading the team with 283 kills, built on the foundation of a .297 hitting percentage. He also has a team-high 42 blocks, and ranks third on the Porters with 129 digs.
That final stat makes Lockport coach Nick Mraz happy after he decided to let Bluhm loose in the back row the past two seasons.
“Josh’s defense has gotten so much better,” Mraz said. “Teams used to make it a point to pick on him, but he’s holding his own. Maybe once or twice we’ve subbed him for defense this year.
“But for the most part, he’s doing well back there and that’s great to see.”
Dziadkowiec, who’s also heading to Loras, was impressed with Bluhm’s head-to-head battle against a future teammate in Jaral.
“Connor is a great outside, and I feel like Josh did well against him,” Dziadkowiec said. “He’s been averaging 10-15 kills a match, and he had under 10. We did a great job against him.”
Bluhm confirmed that Dziadkowiec helped get him into volleyball.
“We’ve been friends for a very long time,” Bluhm said of Dziadkowiec. “We used to play basketball together. He started playing volleyball, and I thought I might as well just try it.”
This senior class has been planning on a big 2024 season for four years.
However, there weren’t a whole lot of people around the Lockport program cheering when the Illinois High School Association changed its assignments from recent years and put the Porters into the Bolingbrook Sectional with two-time defending state champion Glenbard West.
Since April 27, though, Glenbard West has lost twice to Marist and also against Barrington. The way Lockport played Thursday, optimism is running high for a deep run in the playoffs.
“Our goals are high right now,” Dziadkowiec said. “We have to stay humble, but we know we’re one of those teams that can be there.”
Bluhm, meanwhile, is happy with his choice of William Penn, an NAIA powerhouse in Iowa that made it to the national semifinals and is coached by former St. Rita standout Luke Bentley.
Watching from afar, Bluhm was a devoted fan as his future team was trying to get to the national championship match Friday.
“It was my friend’s birthday, and I was at Topgolf,” he said. “I was on my phone the entire time watching the whole game. It was a five-setter and a great game.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
