Giant leaps

The coaches knew the team would still be very good -- it just took some time for the players to realize it.

"Small things can turn into big things. We never thought we'd get to a sectional final again until the middle of the season," said Lindsey Weber, a Rosary volleyball co-captain.

The Royals did, and the 5-foot-10-inch outside hitter and Beacon News Girls Volleyball Athlete of the Year helped lead the way. She has been rock solid as a four-year varsity player for coach Lisa Kasper and boasted a strong all-around game this season.

The senior put up impressive numbers -- 301 kills, 30 blocks, 207 digs and 95 percent serving with 40 aces -- in helping lead the team to a second-place finish in the tough Suburban Catholic Conference, its eighth straight regional title and a berth in the Class 3A Nazareth Sectional final.

All that despite playing through the pain of tendinitis in both knees.

"She told us about it about three weeks into the season but we never heard about it again," Kasper said. "Lindsey is not one to complain. She just went about her business and fought through it.

"That was something she was dealing with, but she wants to be out on the court."

Weber, who will resume club play next week, downplayed the condition.

"It was nothing too major," she said. "I did some physical therapy and had a whole routine of icing them and doing a lot of stretching to try to make it easier to work.

"And to be honest with you, during play, I didn't notice it at all. Maybe it was the adrenaline kicking in. I'd notice it before and after playing."

The team posted a 103-46 record during Weber's prep career and she ranks high on Rosary's career lists. She is second in kills (960) and digs (702) to Catherine Smale (1,135 and 723, respectively), who is in her senior season at Iowa.

"My freshman year I walked into what I thought would be a really, really competitive situation, but it was a big rebuilding year," Weber said.

"My sophomore and junior year expectations were high. This year at the beginning it kind of changed. They were a little lower and we thought it would be a partial rebuilding year.

"We had a meeting at the beginning of the year to discuss our general goals, but we never talked about state."

Something changed midway through the season.

The Royals lost the opening set of a pool-play match to St. Ignatius at the Waubonsie Valley Tournament and trailed in the second game 19-11 when they suddenly started clicking.

"Somehow we ended up winning the whole match," Weber said.

And then they won the tournament.

"It definitely was a huge change in our ideas," she said. "We were better than what we thought and set our goals higher."

They defeated SCC power St. Francis to earn a split in the season series, but came up short against the Spartans in that sectional final.

"She has been our go-to player this year and was voted team MVP by the team," Kasper said. "She's a great kid and tended to lead with her playing."

Now she'll try to impress more college coaches during club ball after turning down an offer this week from East Tennessee State. She's made unofficial visits to Oakland University and Wayne State, both in Michigan.

"I'm not really picky," she said. I'm looking for a level of play that suits me. It could be Division I or II."

The academic fit will be just as important.

"I know for sure I want to do something in the medical field, either in nursing or nutrition," she said.

And what of next year's Rosary team, which will include younger sister Emily in her senior season?

"It's gonna be good again and they should win a ninth straight regional," Lindsey said. Girls Volleyball Athlete of the Year

BEACON NEWS ALL-AREA
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TEAM

FIRST TEAM

Sam Akre, Newark, senior middle hitter -- Six-footer was unanimous Little Ten all-conference selection for third year in a row, named team MVP and was named to Iroquois West all-tournament team for the second time. She set the single-season school record with 359 kills and holds the career mark, too. She had 101 blocks, 122 digs and 65 aces in 2008. "Sam was a dominant, hard-swinging attacker for us this season," coach Tonya Nagel said. "She was good as a junior but far better this year as a senior. Most people assumed she played club volleyball, which she did not." Also stars on the Newark basketball team and will continue volleyball career at Olivet Nazarene University.

Laura Doolin, Batavia, senior outside hitter -- Bradley University setter signee and four-year starter led 22-win team with 274 kills, 225 digs and 48 aces. Earned all-Western Sun Conference honors for second straight year and was all-tournament at Waubonsie Valley. She has participated in more wins (85) than any player in school history. "For not training at the outside position the entire club season, Laura did a great job of adjusting and dominating in that role," Batavia coach Lori Trippi-Payne said.

Kelly Hogan, Rosary, senior outside hitter -- Another four-year varsity performer, Hogan was an all-Suburban Catholic Conference selection and was named to the all-tournament team at Plainfield North. She set a single-season school record with 66 aces to go with 283 kills, 215 digs and 25 blocks. She is first on Rosary's career list with 175 aces, third with 665 digs and fourth with 769 kills.

Megan Odenthal, Geneva, junior setter -- Earned all-Western Sun Conference honors setting for league champion Vikings, who won 30 matches overall. Odenthal had an area-high 863 assists, second best for a season in school history and added a school-record 63 aces.

Chrissy Piha, Waubonsie Valley, senior libero -- "Chrissy accepted a new role as libero after playing right side last year," Warriors coach Kristen Stuart said. "She did a great job stepping in and adjusting. She was our most consistent passer and did a great job of reading the hitters." She led team with 332 digs, had 43 aces and had 2.03 on a 3.0 scale for serve-receive on the way to earning honorable mention all-Upstate Eight Conference honors.

Lindsey Weber, Rosary, senior outside hitter -- Beacon News Player of the Year was a repeat all-Suburban Catholic Conference selection and named all-tournament at Waubonsie Valley and Wheaton Warrenville South. She led team with 301 kills and 207 digs and ranks second all time in those categories with 960 and 702, respectively. Four-year starter had 95 percent serving with 40 aces this season, and played on four regional champs in her career.

Lauren Wicinski, Geneva, junior outside hitter -- Western Sun Conference MVP set school record with 380 kills and was the team's best passer. "She hit over 57 percent, which is a pretty good number for an outside hitter," coach K.C. Johnsen said. "Last year she had 297 kills and is probably well on the way to breaking the school career record." Wicinski added 145 digs and had 47 aces. This was her second straight unanimous all-conference selection. Highly sought recruit already has an offer from Northern Illinois but is garnering plenty of interest. She likely will make a verbal commitment this summer.

Kelsey Augustine, Geneva, junior MH
Jenna Hotwagner, Waubonsie Valley, senior S
Taylor Koncelik, Batavia, senior OH
Karen Matic, Rosary, senior S
Melissa Norville, Batavia, senior MH
Nicole Salmon, Waubonsie Valley, junior OH
Lauren Schlaker, Oswego East, senior L

Amanda Beebe, Aurora Christian
Grace Burns, Geneva
Jenny Chen, IMSA
Niki Evans, IMSA
Kari Galen, Waubonsie Valley
Melissa Herrmann, Hinckley-Big Rock
Kellie Holpuch, Oswego
Alyssa Howey, West Aurora
Ashley Ilseman, Aurora Christian
Lindsey Juriga, Rosary
Jessica Lubic, Kaneland
Nicole Maertzig, Oswego
Jackie Ream, Kaneland
Katie Sommer, Geneva
Jenna Thorp, Hinckley-Big Rock
Abby VanDerHeyden, Kaneland
Becky Weaver, Oswego
Taylor Whitley, Geneva