It seems most of the top volleyball players get started in the sport at an early age, whether it be from watching older siblings play or competing on a youth club team.
Eisenhower’s Robert McCoy took a different, more caloric path.
“A bag of chips led the way,” McCoy said.
The lean 6-7 middle hitter was coaxed to tryout as sophomore after playing volleyball in a developmental sports class.
“One of the girls in the class was on the volleyball team,” McCoy said. “She saw me play and thought I looked like a natural.
“I didn’t go to the first tryout on Tuesday because I thought, ‘No, I’m not going to play volleyball.’ But Wednesday, she came to my class and made me pinkie promise that I would come. Then (teammate Lionel Webb) made a deal with her that if we came to tryouts, she’d give us a bag of chips. It all skyrocketed from there.”
Eisenhower coach Stan Natonek should send a thank-you note. McCoy, a major contributor to Eisenhower’s basketball team with averages of 11.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks, is now looking like one of the top middle hitters in the Southland.
“You can’t give us anything soft,” Natonek said. “If it’s a soft serve or a free ball, we’re coming back hard.”
Much of that has to do with McCoy, who earned all-South Suburban honors last season as well as honorable mention on the Daily Southtown’s all-area team.
And while he might see fewer attack opportunities this season until Eisenhower’s shores up its passing and serve-receive, McCoy is intent to help the Cardinals surpass last season’s 23 wins, the best total in program history.
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“We’re getting used to how we play with each other,” McCoy said. “We all got better and changed as players. Me and (graduated setter) Lukasz Kupiec had good chemistry, and now I’m trying to build that with (junior setter Charles Carter).”
Tiger Classic
Four athletes from the Southland took home all-tournament honors last weekend at the loaded Wheaton Warrenville South Tiger Classic.
Sandburg outside hitter Paul Chmura notched his second selection, pushing the Eagles to a fourth-place showing in the 24-team field. Lincoln-Way East libero Robbie Hoffman, Marist setter Aaron Kummer and Brother Rice outside hitter Jimmy Baker also made the cut.
“Paul’s been typically Paul,” Sandburg coach Sean Airola said. “He went back-to-back matches with 17 kills against Wheaton South and 16 against Buffalo Grove. I’m expecting him to be upwards of the 350 to 400 kills this year, and he should break 1,000 for his career pretty soon.”
The surprise of the all-tournament team was Baker, the first sophomore to receive the nod since Chmura in 2013. Baker propelled the Crusaders to a fifth-place finish, including a win over Marist and an upset victory over Naperville Central, which came off a championship run at the 24-team Marist Invitational.
Marist took sixth and reigning champion Lincoln-Way East placed eighth.
New Trier setter Dante Chakravorti won tournament MVP in leading the Trevians to the title. Chakravorti follows Lincoln-Way East’s Austin Royer and Glenbrook North’s Brian O’Keefe in earning the acclaim.
Player of the Week
Connor Hipelius, of Lincoln-Way Central, is the Daily Southtown’s Player of the Week.
Hipelius, a senior middle hitter and Lindenwood recruit, registered five blocks, four kills and two aces in a three-set victory at Providence.
Malloy is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Boys Volleyball Top 10
Records through Wednesday; last week’s rank in parenthesis
1. Lincoln-Way West 12-0 (1)
2. Sandburg 7-3 (2)
3. Joliet Catholic 8-1 (3)
4. Brother Rice 8-5 (6)
5. Lockport 7-2 (5)
6. Marist 8-5 (7)
7. Lincoln-Way Central 8-4 (9)
8. Lincoln-Way East 6-5 (4)
9. Lincoln-Way North 6-3 (10)
10. Eisenhower 8-2 (NR)
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