Sophomore Lexi Jensen isn’t a rarity at Shepard by being a talented volleyball player. There have been many who have worn the school’s uniform.
But talented — and tall?
Astros coach Brian Zofkie hasn’t had many of those during his seven seasons.
“We’ve had kids play in the middle who were athletic, but we were always giving up size,” Zofkie said. “I don’t think they’re walking around here. They’ve been hard to find.
“I’ve seen Rick Gamino’s basketball team, too. And there isn’t a whole lot of height there. He’s probably asking the same questions.”
This season, Zofkie found a good one.
Jensen, a 6-foot-2 middle hitter, is leading Shepard in two categories with 22 kills and 14 blocks. She’s also second on the team with six service aces.
As a freshman, she led the team in blocks and earned all-conference honors.
Jensen is proud of the work she has put into being a two-year varsity player. She takes no credit for the height, however.
“I just have tall parents, so I got lucky there,” Jensen said, laughing. “I really like Shepard and I really like playing volleyball. It helps me get through the school day when I can think, ‘Oh, it’s time for volleyball.’
“Practice is always fun. We know when we have to get serious and we know when it’s time to mess around. We figure it out.”
Jensen was, in one sense, a pleasant surprise for Zofkie when she arrived at Shepard ready to play.
“Her older sister Olivia had played for us, but she was more of a softball player,” Zofkie said. “We knew Lexi was coming. I just didn’t know she was a legit 6-1 and was that athletic at that height.
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“When we saw her at that first summer practice, we were like, ‘Oh, yeah. She’s coming up to the varsity.'”
As a freshman, Jensen alternated with senior middle Kamille Plavinskas. The main hitting duties were shared by the setting combo of Kaila Butvilas and Leah Rizzo.
This season, Jensen plays all six rotations and hits from everywhere on the court.
“I actually just started that this year for my club team,” Jensen said. “I told my coach, ‘If you need me to play all the way around, I will.’ We tried it and it worked out.”
“Whatever coach needs me for, I’m there.”
Getting it right: Chicago Christian is hauling in the hardware.
On the heels of a second-place finish at their own tourney, the Knights (11-2) swept the field at the Joliet Central Tournament.
Appalachian State recruit Delanie Grevengoed was the tourney MVP for the Knights, who beat Bradley-Bourbonnais in Saturday’s championship match 25-21, 25-12.
“I started out kind of rough, but I picked it up throughout the weekend,” she said. “I’m pretty excited about this season. I’m enjoying and having a bigger role, having more control of the team. There is a lot more team leadership involved for me.”
Grevengoed, a 6-2 senior outside and right-side hitter, led the way in the championship match with 14 kills and four aces. Keely Colyer added six kills and 16 assists, while Tegan Colyer had nine digs and three aces.
Delanie Grevengoed has taken over the team leadership role previously held by her sister Logan, now a freshman at Western Kentucky.
“(Delanie) just carries the load in almost every stat category,” said Chicago Christian coach Troy Grevengoed, who is also Delanie and Logan’s dad. “She does her job defensively on the back side, and even when teams find a way to slow her down with a commit block, she makes it up on the backside of it.
“She gets us in really nice service runs and just plays phenomenal defense back there.”
Time capsule: In 1992, Mother McAuley won the Class AA state title, starting a stretch in which the Mighty Macs either won or finished second in five of six seasons. The 1992 team was led by setter/blocker Michelle Battistella, Amy Kalchbrenner, Michelle Dennis, Jen Bell, Cheri Hughes and Katie Walsh.