Neuqua Valley senior Skylar Fildew had to wait a long time for her chance to play varsity volleyball.
She made sure she was ready when it finally came.
Fildew, a 5-foot-5 setter, surprised even first-year Neuqua Valley coach Jamie Buhnerkemper with her serving ability, so much so that Buhnerkemper changed her offense from a 5-1 to a 6-2.
“We started running a 5-1, and I threw her in a match, and she went on a serving run,” Buhnerkemper said. “I was like, ‘I’ve got to keep this kid on the court.'”
Fildew has impressed everyone with her serving ability. The St. Olaf commit mostly uses a floater, but she employs an aggressive run-up and swing to disguise it.
“When I first started, I actually did a topspin serve, which is really different,” Fildew said. “Then I really wanted to put in a float because I knew a float was more effective.
“So I practiced that for the whole summer in my backyard, just serving at my wall, going over the footwork, going over the hand motions. It ended up being really effective.”
It sure has. Fildew’s serving helped the Wildcats eviscerate Naperville Central’s defense on Thursday. She led all players with 12 service points and three aces in addition to a match-high 12 assists in Neuqua Valley’s 25-17, 25-10 DuPage Valley Conference victory.
The serving prowess was contagious as four players combined for seven aces for the Wildcats (9-7, 1-1), who scored 30 points on their serve.
“We definitely stepped up in that aspect of our game, which was nice to see,” Buhnerkemper said. “We had some kids serving that went on a few serving runs that typically don’t, and then Skylar went on a pretty nice serving run in both sets. So it helped us out a lot.”
Fildew served five straight points, capped by an ace, to give the Wildcats a 10-4 lead in the first set.
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Naperville Central (10-11, 1-1) closed within 20-17, but Neuqua Valley senior outside hitter Bryanna Jones smashed one of her nine kills to give the serve to Fildew, who ran off the final four points of the set.
Fildew had 13 service points and four aces in a narrow loss to Benet on Monday.
“I’ve really been working on my footwork and my toss,” Fildew said. “I try to keep everything in front of me, and I really try to simplify it.
“When I bring my arm back, I keep everything forward and in front of me. I put all my body weight into it and try to keep my hand big and get that flow.”
Fildew and senior Katelyn Chiu split the setting duties these days, but Jones said the new routine hasn’t hurt the flow of the offense.
“Skylar brings responsibility,” Jones said. “She knows what she’s doing, so you can always count on her to know what’s going on and tell you all of the things you need to work on.
“If she’s doing something wrong, you can tell her, and she won’t take it the wrong way. She can take criticism, and she’ll fix it for you because she wants you to get that big kill.”
Jones has landed many big kills during her four-year varsity career. Fildew is relishing the chance to set up more of them.
“This is my last year,” Fildew said. “It’s what I’ve been waiting for. I’ve always wanted to be on varsity and be in front of everyone. I’m glad I get to help out and be a part of the team and play and score some points.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.