Veteran coach Sue Keck is a Western Springs resident, but said she isn’t the least bit surprised by the early success of Elmhurst’s three girls volleyball teams.
“There are definitely good players coming out of Elmhurst,” said Keck, the longtime director of the 1st Alliance/Lions Jrs. club.
The high school volleyball teams from Elmhurst entered the week with just five combined losses after the first two weeks. York (8-2) won the Benet Invitational, while Timothy (8-1) captured the Westmont Invitational Sept. 5. IC Catholic (8-2), the 2013 Class 2A state champion, handed Timothy its only loss of the season during pool play at Westmont while finishing third.
Keck’s club has used the gymnasium at Timothy Christian for at least 10 years to host a fall league and she has noticed the large number of girls coming from the grade schools at Visitation and Immaculate Conception in Elmhurst and from St. Pius X in Lombard. The league also draws heavily from Sandburg and Bryan, since those Elmhurst middle schools have their volleyball seasons in the spring.
Keck said many of those players eventually join her Lions Jrs. program as they develop their skills. Even with practices held in Western Springs, 1st Alliance/Lions Jrs. is the most popular club for York players.
“We’ve always had players from Elmhurst that go to York, IC and Timothy Christian. We have a number of players in our program from there,” Keck said.
Patty Iverson, the coach at York for the past 11 seasons, has done her part in building the sport in Elmhurst. Her summer youth camp draws players from all schools around Elmhurst, both public and private, and her three-day winter clinic over the holidays has become popular as one of the primary fundraisers for the Dukes’ volleyball program. Dukes’ varsity players are required to work as instructors at her camps and teach future players how to play.
York junior setter Sarah Rose, the MVP of the Benet Invitational, played for IC’s middle school before following her older sister, Caroline, to York. She joined Lions Jrs. when she was 9 years old.
“I remember it was pretty competitive between Vis and IC. It was always a rivalry between all the girls,” Rose said.
At IC Catholic, senior outside hitter/setter Tess Reardon is one of three current players, along with Kerry Mulligan and Claudia Koch, from the Knights’ state championship team.
Reardon got her start in volleyball at summer camps conducted by Visitation teacher Linda Roberts. York starter Kristie Paus, a 6-foot middle hitter, also attended Visitation and attended Roberts’ camps.
“You can’t beat the experience, no matter what,” Reardon said. “They are all great players and great coaches that have been here for so many years. They know how to teach us and improve our game.”
Reardon said having veteran coaches such as Iverson and IC’s Nancy Kerrigan D’Amore has helped Elmhurst become Volleytown. D’Amore, a 1985 IC grad, was a longtime assistant to legendary coach Jean Field before taking over two years ago. Both Nancy Kerrigan D’Amore, an Elmhurst resident, and her daughter, Delaney, played on state championship teams coached by Field, who launched IC’s program in 1973.
“It’s nice to see the success of those Elmhurst teams,” Nancy D’Amore said. “When we compete with Timothy, it’s very intense. It’s always a great match.”
Scott Piersma, in his third season as Timothy coach, said several members of his team are from Elmhurst and compete for 1stAlliance/Lions Jrs. or Lisle-based Illinois Performance.
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Another reason behind the team’s success is that he has two players who are 6-foot-2 and 6-1, and two others at 5-11.
The Trojans, who went 36-3 and lost in three games in the 2A supersectionals last year, have four senior captains: middle hitter Allison DeBoer, setter Dani Van Laten (Timothy Christian recruit), right-side hitter Grace Miller and defensive specialist Abby Groters.
Piersma also works with his players during the offseason.
“Our summer camps are not just for Timothy (players),” he said. “Anybody can come, but it’s really by word of mouth. Our camp schedule circulates within the Timothy community.”
Twitter @geomwilcox