Lowell girls volleyball coach Dana Radtke admitted the mere sight of junior outside hitter Jordin Page on the court may not strike fear in the hearts of opponents.
But when she gets her arm going, teams might want to take cover.
“When you first walk into the gym, we might be stretching it when we say she’s (5-foot-9 or 5-10),” Radtke said. “She’s not as intimidating as it comes out on paper. But when we are looking for that game-winning kill, she’s the one that says, ‘I’m ready.’ And the setters really believe in her and want to get her the ball.”
That was evident Tuesday when the Red Devils went for the season sweep against Highland. Page recorded a match-high 24 kills and 12 digs as Lowell rolled to the three-game win over the Trojans.
She followed that up with 14 kills and five digs in a sweep over Hobart on Thursday.
Lowell (17-10) is 7-3 in the Northwest Crossroads Conference heading into Tuesday’s match against second-place Andrean. The Red Devils are hoping to finish the conference season in second place and gain momentum heading into sectionals.
Page is one of the reasons why Lowell is on the verge of 20 wins. The Red Devils were below .500 two years ago and finished .500 last season.
But the team’s cohesiveness has drastically improved along with the talent level and confidence.
“We had some problems with attitude last year,” Page said. “But we’ve worked that out. Our chemistry is much better this year.”
“They have to believe that it’s possible,” Radtke said of her team’s approach to winning matches. “You can have six hard-working girls on the floor, but they have to believe they can do it. The volleyball skill has improved. We’ve put in a lot of time and focused on position.”
Page, who started toward the end of her freshman season on the varsity, said fellow three-year varsity players Joselynn Bobos and Meagan Fitzgerald have also helped Lowell because of their experience.
“We didn’t have the best record freshman year and we did OK last year, but we learned a lot from the last two years,” Page said. “It was cool making the varsity as a freshman. That was a goal of mine as a young player. Now, it’s coming together for us.”
Radtke said Page’s versatility is the reason why it’s coming together.
“Her versatility is what makes her so good,” Radtke said. “When she got here, she was really focused on hitting straight lines. She was also a middle hitter. So we transitioned her to the outside and helped her evolve. She now can read double blocks and she hits the ball at an angle. She has improved so much.”
Ryan Haskell is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TOP 10
Last week’s ranking in parentheses
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1. Valparaiso (1)
2. Munster (2)
3. Lake Central (3)
4. Crown Point (4)
5. Bishop Noll (5)
6. Andrean (6)
7. LaPorte (NR)
8. Lowell (NR)
9. Whiting (8)
10. Hanover Central (10)
Player of the Week: Junior Natalie Santana recorded 30 kills, 20 digs and two aces in wins over Michigan City and Merrillville last week as LaPorte (16-11) improved to 6-5 in conference.