Lincoln-Way East’s Tamia Maddox has watched a bunch of basketball in her life.
Her father, Dante, is the boys coach at Bloom.
But relatively speaking, the sophomore right-side hitter was more interested in talking volleyball with her cousin Lexi Byas, a junior libero for the Griffins.
“I’ve always looked up to my older cousin,” Tamia said. “I kind of followed what she was doing. Seeing her do volleyball, I was like, ‘I want to do volleyball, too. We can do this together.'”
They celebrated as the victors Thursday night as Lincoln-Way East beat the host Vikings 25-17, 25-16 in the Class 4A Homewood-Flossmoor Regional championship match.
Ava Nepkin led the Griffins (31-6) with eight kills and five digs. Jada James added seven kills, while Byas tallied nine digs and Maggie Simon had nine assists and two aces.
Chidera Ozoh chipped in with four kills for H-F (16-17). Caroline Elfner added five digs, while Emma Dieringer notched 15 assists.
Lincoln-Way East, which tied the program record for most wins with 31, will play Sandburg (22-15) at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the Lockport Sectional semifinals.
Maddox wasn’t big on the stat board against H-F, however. She only had three digs while contributing one kill and one block.
The block, however, came against H-F power hitter LaDonna Trantham. The kill, a ferocious rip that landed untouched, was one of the loudest of the night.
More Top Picks Best Weighted Blankets For Adhd
The girl can swing.
“I’ve always had an arm,” Maddox said, smiling. “I just swing through and put as much as I can behind it. It’s not likely that they’re going to get a block on it.”
For the season, Maddox is third on the team with 132 kills. She’s also third with 41 blocks.
The blocks? No surprise there. She’s been a middle blocker for much of her career.
Maddox gets the most out of her 5-foot-7 frame and Lincoln-Way East coach Kris Fiore gives her every opportunity he can.
“Yeah, well, when you see her jump, you’d understand why,” Fiore said. “She elevates so well. She and Jada James are pretty much at another level from any kids that we’ve really had here.
“She definitely is one of our strongest blockers. We put her in the front row at the start of matches with the intention that she is going to help shut down or control the primary hitter on the other side.”
Her future, however, may well be as an outside hitter. James and Nepkin are both seniors.
“I’m excited,” Maddox said. “I’m ready to be able to hit, get more opportunities to put the ball down and just play a big part in our team next year.
“I know we’re going to lose two of our best hitters. I want to keep this going and fill in their shoes when they’re gone.”
Her cousin most definitely approves.
“Tamia, she was really an all-around athlete,” Byas said. “I was always a volleyball player. That’s the only sport I ever played.
“When we were growing up, Tamia really tried every sport but volleyball. I was like, ‘Come over here.’ I knew she could jump because she used to do the long jump in track.
“I’m so proud of her and I love her so much. She’s my best friend.”
For James and Nepkin — both three-year varsity starters — it was a chance to celebrate a postseason title for the first time.
More Top Picks Best Gutter Cleaning Tools
Nepkin, a Loyola Maryland recruit, had three kills early in the first game and a kill and two aces at the outset of the second game.
She came ready to play.
“Two years ago, Jada and I were playing with Ava Porada and all of them,” Nepkin said. “Unfortunately, (due to pandemic restrictions), we didn’t get a chance to go to regionals.
“Getting an opportunity and using it like we are is just awesome.”