Hinsdale Central’s Jake Regnery said he wasn’t obsessed last year with setting the school record for most kills in a season, but after each game he would check to see how many more he needed to break the mark.
When the season wrapped up, Regnery found himself 22 kills shy of the record of 326.
Now a senior, this is Regnery’s last year as a Red Devil and his final chance to make his mark at the school.
But don’t expect a repeat of last year’s chase. Regnery’s pursuit is in the past as he focuses on a goal much more important.
“I was definitely trying to put a record on the board last year, but no one is worrying about stats this year,” Regnery said. “It’s a different vibe this year. We’re really close and it wasn’t like that before. It’s all about our chemistry and getting downstate as a team and bettering each other. I’m more focused on that as a long-term goal.”
The team is also much deeper this season and has several big-time hitters, including Regnery, senior Kurt McConnell and juniors Will Thompson and Adam Conklin.
“I love having a really powerful offense and it’s a strong suit that we have more than one terminal hitter,” Regnery said. “It’s taken a little pressure off of me and has allowed me to pick up my game in other aspects, like defense and working on my shots and being a smarter player instead of just putting the ball down.”
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The 6-foot-2 outside hitter has also been working with Hinsdale Central head coach Mike Konrad on blocking and has seen positive results with a higher block-per-game average.
Regnery expects his offense to keep improving as well. He’s grown comfortable working with senior Kian Peterson, who’s been the Red Devils’ setter for the past three seasons.
“He’s our strongest most terminal hitter, which means he puts the ball away the best,” Peterson said. “We’ve been playing together for three years in club and school so we have a good chemistry and he’s having a great season.”
“He’s definitely taken his game to a different level and you can see it in the way he’s hitting the ball and the way he’s attacking the game,” Konrad said. “His teammates rely on him, and since this is his third year on varsity, he knows the speed of the game and what to do with the ball.”
Last year, the Red Devils fell to St. Francis in two games in the regional semifinals. Regnery believes that even though several top players graduated off that squad, the team is in a better spot .
“A ton of people are stepping up this year and we have a lot of big potential to make a run in state this year,” Regnery said.
Notes
* Hinsdale Central, which took second in the Schaumburg Invitational on April 18, improved to 5-4 with a 25-14, 25-18 home win over Oak Park-River Forest April 21 in the teams’ West Suburban Silver opener.
* McConnell finished with six kills and two blocks, while Regnery had four kills and three digs. Peterson finished with 14 assists and Josh Vozenilek served three aces.
Valentin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.