Right place, right times
Neuqua outside hitter was steady when team needed him most
All things considered, two weeks after placing third at the IHSA Boys Volleyball State Finals for the second year in a row, Neuqua Valley senior Jake Blackman is in a good place.
He's proud of the two consecutive sectional titles, which were the first in school history, and the two trips to the state semifinals. That pride may include a smidge of regret, but that's only natural.
Courtesy of Jeff Jendryk
2007 -- Karl Miller, Naperville North
2006 -- David Pociask, Naperville North
2005 -- David Baleiko, Waubonsie Valley
2004 -- Dan Buehring, Naperville Central
2003 -- Matt Hankey, Naperville North COMING UP IN THE SUN
Thursday: Baseball player of the year and All-City team
Friday: Boys and girls athletes of the year
Sunday: Year in Review, Part 1
June 29: Year in Review, Part 2
"I'm pretty content with what we did and everything, how far we've come," Blackman said. "But yeah, I feel like we came up short, just a little bit this last year because I really felt like we could have gone all the way."
Blackman was a consistent force for the Wildcats (38-4) as they posted an undefeated record in the Upstate Eight Conference, set a school record for wins and repeated as sectional champions. Whether it was hitting, passing or serving, Blackman made plays all the way to the state finals, and then he made some more.
That's why he is the Sun Boys Volleyball Player of the Year.
On a Neuqua team with a lot of talent at the net, Blackman was the primary option. He also was a calming influence with his steady play in the back row.
"It's just the thought that Jake takes care of what he needs to take care of," Neuqua coach Erich Mendoza said.
Blackman led the Wildcats in kills (326) and aces (25). He was tied for second on the team with 53 digs; only libero Brad Stout had more.
At the state finals, Blackman had 32 kills in three matches, including eight in Neuqua's two-game win over Providence Catholic, ranked No. 1 in the state by the Chicago Sun-Times heading into the postseason.
"He's always focused," Mendoza said. "He's always listening. He's always trying to get better."
As a junior, Blackman had 196 kills on a team that placed third at state. So this year he was certainly a known commodity. Blackman said that didn't change his approach at the net. He still reads the block and hits away.
"It's all about trying to get the ball in bounds, not whether it looks good or anything," Blackman said. "That's pretty much my main focus throughout the whole year was just to get the ball in bounds, not try to do too much."
Playing in the third-place game as a senior was easier, Blackman said. When it was all new, the excitement and nerves and disappointment of a semifinal loss were almost consuming.
Being able to win your last game was a nice way to go out, but for Blackman's money, the best memory over the past two seasons was last year's sectional championship against Naperville North.
"Beating North is probably the one thing I'll never forget," he said. "Just because we were the huge underdogs that whole year. Everyone was thinking North was going to win. Once we won that game, we felt like we could do pretty much anything."
