Elmwood Park only won six girls volleyball matches last year. With about a month left in the current season, the Tigers matched that win total with a straight-set victory over Guerin on Thursday, Sept. 22.
The Tigers can point to several factors in their improvement: better team communication, better passing and more confidence.
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They’re also pretty thankful that middle blocker and outside hitter Jovana Bulatovic transferred in from Trinity this year.
“I have a framed picture of her on my wall,” joked Tigers junior Samantha Garcia.
Any team that adds a 6-foot senior with a vertical reach of 9-foot-8 is bound to improve. During the Tigers’ 25-22, 25-17 Metro Suburban Conference win over Guerin, Bulatovic contributed kills at key points in both sets to help keep Tigers coach Katie Prechel comfortable.
“She has been a great asset to our team,” Prechel said. “She gets a lot of our kills, and you can definitely tell when she hits the ball. Everybody kind of cheers at it. She’s been impressive.”
Bulatovic, a Western Illinois recruit, said she’s enjoying her final season of high school volleyball, playing for a new high school.
“Everyone has been really friendly,” Bulatovic said. “We’re all friends, and they accepted me right away.”
While Bulatovic has added punch to the Tigers’ offense, returning players have also found increased confidence this season.
Elmwood Park trailed Guerin through most of their first set before a Gators mistake off a serve by the Tigers’ Katarzyna Skwiot tied the score at 21-21. Guerin errors down the stretch helped the Tigers take the first game. In the second game, Elmwood Park built leads of 10-4 and 20-13 before winning comfortably.
“To beat them at home feels pretty good,” Prechel said. “It’s an attitude that we now have and it’s been building in our program for a while, that we’re here to compete and win matches.
“Our conversation before playing Guerin was about taking the emotion out of the game. It’s not about how you feel about the team on the other side of the net. It’s about your side that matters and not letting emotions get the best of you.”
Senior and second-year varsity setter Skwiot has shined this year, along with junior setter Anna Dabrowiecka. Junior setter Emily Matos also chipped in against Guerin.
“They’re responsible for set selection. I really don’t tell them what they should be doing,” Prechel said. “Every once in a while I’ll give them (advice), but for the most part they make those decisions themselves.”
Bulatovic had a few kills late in the second set to help secure the win, but neither side piled up many kills in the match. Instead, the Tigers relied on solid passing and serving, along with one of volleyball’s crucial intangibles.
“We’re working together and communicating,” Bulatovic said. “If you don’t talk on the court, you’re not going to win. You have to talk.”
Dabrowiecka saw another factor at play for a Tigers team that improved to 6-8, their fourth win in six matches.
“We’re more focused at practice,” Dabrowiecka said. “You play the way you practice and we’re taking practice more seriously, and we have people staying longer to work on things.”
Gary Larsen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press