Keira Kasten arrived at Libertyville with all the makings of a college volleyball player.
That much was clear to Libertyville coach Greg Loika.
“When she came to us as a freshman, you could absolutely see the potential she had to be a player on the next level,” Loika said. “You could tell it with her skill set, work ethic and the intangibles.
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“You never know what will eventually happen being that young. But in terms of ability, she was loaded.”
Kasten, the 2022 News-Sun Girls Volleyball Player of the Year, lived up to that potential during her senior season. A second-year captain, the 6-foot outside hitter led the Wildcats (29-9) to the North Suburban Conference title and the Class 4A sectional semifinals.
Kasten, an Elon signee, finished her fourth varsity season with 289 kills, 20 blocks, 120 digs and 33 aces.
“It’s kind of crazy to think where I started as a freshman to where I’ve ended up now after my senior season,” she said. “These four years seemed to have gone with a blink of the eye.”
In that time, Kasten developed from a middle hitter limited to the front line to an outside hitter who can do just about everything well on the court.
“She worked really hard on her defense to become a six-rotation player, which is not always easy for someone her size,” Loika said. “She started out in high school and in club as a middle, but we knew she had the talent to move to the outside and then go all-around.
“I don’t know what (Elon) plans for her in college because it’s such a big jump up to play Division I, but I think she definitely has the ability to help in any position, including all-around.”
Kasten said she will try to improve all of her skills in the coming months with her Sky High club team before heading to Elon, where she plans to major in nursing.
“You can always get better in all areas, but I want to work on getting stronger too,” she said. “I can’t wait to get to college, but I still have time to make my game even better before I get there.”
Kasten also improved her leadership skills at Libertyville.
“In her early years with us, she was surrounded with a tremendous amount of talent, and with our 2021 class of seniors we were poised to do some big things on the state level before that season got wiped out by the pandemic,” Loika said.
“She learned a lot from those players. So when she became a junior and senior, she was the mentor to our younger players. They really look up to her.”
Kasten said giving back is the Libertyville way.
“I remember running around as a freshman not knowing really what was going on, but we had a lot of really great upperclassmen that showed me the way,” she said. “I tried to give back to our younger players when I got older. So hopefully I was a role model.”
For Kasten next season, it will be back to learning the ropes as a freshman at Elon.
“It is definitely going to be a new challenge in my life and with my volleyball,” she said. “I played other sports when I was younger, like soccer and basketball. But I just fell in love with volleyball, and it’s the only sport I really wanted to keep playing.
“It still amazes me that I have taken the sport this far, but I’m going to enjoy it as long as possible.”
Darren Day is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.