Lyons senior Sam Levinson is thinking about majoring in sports management in college.
Film studies might be a good backup plan, especially if it involves watching volleyball.
Over the past three seasons, Levinson became known as much for his diligence in breaking down tape and disseminating it to his teammates as for his skills on the court, which also were impressive.
“Sam was a great leader for us,” Lyons coach Brad Skendzel said. “He brought the consistency day in and day out, and that’s all you can ask for. But he did a lot of work behind the scenes.
“He was our leading guy at watching film, so he was always ready and prepared for the upcoming match. I would joke with him that he was watching Hudl more than I would at times, just the number of hours he’d watch on any given day.”
All the studying paid off for Levinson. The 6-foot-3 outside hitter led the Lions (35-7) to unprecedented heights. They broke the program record for wins and reached the state championship match for the first time before losing to defending state champion Glenbard West 25-18, 25-20 at Hoffman Estates on June 3.
Levinson, who will continue his career in the Division III program at Springfield College in Massachusetts, finished with a team-high 270 kills and 40 aces and was third in digs with 139.
“I think that presence that he had on the floor, the guys knew that if the ball was in his hands, he was going to make that right decision,” Skendzel said. “That’s what he brought, not just on the court but in the practices as well. He just led through example, and I think that really helped a lot of our guys.”
‘A crazy run’
Levinson began playing volleyball in middle school but didn’t take it seriously until he got to high school.
“I actually started playing club my freshman year,” he said. “By sophomore year, that was when I really started to love it, and I gave up basketball to play volleyball full time.”
The full-time approach included countless hours of watching film, the minutiae of which has always fascinated Levinson. He believes it can give him — and thus his team — an edge.
“When I would play sports as a younger kid, I never really got to watch video, but I always wanted to kind of go back and look at it,” Levinson said. “Now that we have that ability to rewatch games and even watch other teams, I’ve always loved doing it. I’ve watched it more and more, and I can break it down more. It helps me a lot, for sure.”
The knowledge Levinson has gleaned from the film study, combined with his athleticism, allowed him to shine all over the court for the Lions.
“He made a lot of transitions for us,” Skendzel said. “He first started as a middle for us. Then he transitioned over to right side his junior year.
“Then I told him at the end of his junior year, ‘In order for us to be successful, you’re going to have to be in that outside role.’ He just stepped up and filled that role unbelievably well. What he was able to do in that back row for us was outstanding. It helped us get to where we were.”
Last year, the Lions went 25-13 and lost to Hinsdale Central in the sectional semifinals. While they expected to improve this season, nobody foresaw a run to the state championship match.
“It was a crazy run,” Skendzel said. “I knew early in the season we had a special team, but to think that we would finish up where we did — second place in the state. You can always say something like that in the preseason, but to actually see that come to fruition is a completely different thing.
“We had a lot of good, strong pieces coming together, but we had some games where we didn’t look right at times. It was difficult to see in the first third of the season how we were going to end up.”
Even Levinson didn’t see it.
“Not really, actually,” he said. “I knew we’d be better than we were last season. But to be honest, I wouldn’t have said we’d make the state championship game. I’m glad we did, and I’m really proud of us.”
The turning point came after consecutive losses to Downers Grove North and Lake Park on a Tuesday and a Wednesday, respectively, in early May.
“That Thursday, we took a day away from volleyball,” Skendzel said. “We played whiffle ball in the gym, and everyone had a feel-good day. Friday, we had a real good practice, and then we did a youth camp on Saturday, and it kind of recharged the batteries for everyone. Everyone was in real good spirits.
“Right from there, we started clicking, and the players really started to focus on those little fundamentals and that defensive mentality at practice. Then we started to string a few wins together.”
Indeed, the Lions won nine matches in a row, including a 32-30, 25-20 win against Glenbard West (40-2). That was the only match the Hilltoppers lost in straight sets this season.
Lyons, which won 15 of its last 17 matches, was one of three West Suburban Conference Silver Division teams to qualify for the state quarterfinals, joining Glenbard West and Oak Park. The Lions took out two others — Hinsdale Central and Downers Grove North — in sectional play.
“I’m a little biased, but I definitely think it’s the hardest conference in the state,” Levinson said.
Trophy time
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The Lions were a hard team to beat, although they didn’t have one standout star.
Levinson was one of four seniors who will play in college, along with middles Leo Wiemelt (UC San Diego) and Filip Topor (Milwaukee School of Engineering) and opposite Connor Carroll (Aurora).
“We weren’t any one or two specific leaders, but we all kind of took accountability for ourselves,” Levinson said. “We made sure we were focused and ready to go. We understood our potential because of the talent we had on our team.
“We just together kind of jelled quickly. This was also a team that bonded together off the court more than some other teams in the past, and that helped.”
Levinson even helped out in the middle, assisting with the meteoric rise of the 6-8 Wiemelt, who contributed 152 kills and a team-high 80 blocks.
“Leo started playing volleyball as a freshman when I found him in P.E. class and told him, ‘You’ve got to come play volleyball,'” Skendzel said. “That was his COVID year.
“For him to grow in the sport so quickly and to get that recognition to go and play D-I volleyball, that’s unbelievable.”
That’s not the only thing about Wiemelt that’s notable.
“He’s ambidextrous,” Skendzel said. “He’s able to go up and turn on the ball with the left hand as he does with his right hand.
“There were times in games where if the set was a little off, too far outside or too far inside, he just goes up and puts it down as hard as he would with his right hand. I’ve never seen anything like it. And it’s so natural. It’s fluid. It’s so fun to watch.”
Levinson said he enjoyed playing with Wiemelt.
“He’s gotten so much better as a player,” Levinson said. “It’s fun to see. But an ambidextrous player is really cool because he can get kind of a bad set and hit it with his left. He can swing with his left, and when he does, he can actually do it with power. It’s really fun to watch.”
After Lyons swept Brother Rice in the state quarterfinals and O’Fallon in the state semifinals, Levinson and Wiemelt went to work against Glenbard West. Levinson had a team-high nine kills, and Wiemelt added four kills and three blocks.
One of Levinson’s kills gave the Lions an 11-10 lead in the first set, and he teamed up with Wiemelt for a block that gave them a 10-8 advantage in the second set. But the Hilltoppers quickly rallied both times.
“They went on a little run in both sets,” Skendzel said. “They never let us in the door; they just closed it. Kudos to them. That’s what they do. They’re so consistent, and they look for that one error from the other team and they capitalize, and they are so stout on defense.”
Levinson said the Lions enjoyed their experience at state nonetheless.
“It’s definitely different because of how many people are there, the stage itself,” he said. “But I had a lot of fun playing in it, for sure, especially the fact that I do know a lot of the players on the other team.”
Glenbard West claimed the championship trophy, but Levinson got a look at it.
“Our trophy is the same size as theirs,” he said.
He didn’t need to watch film to see that.
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.