A big smash might please Marist’s student section, but senior right-side hitter Jessica Kurpeikis has discovered that brute force is not always the preferred method of success.
Over the years, she has learned to weave in the feathery touch.
“I am super competitive and very aggressive minded when I play out there,” Kurpeikis said, smiling. “I always try to hit every single ball. I found out you can’t always do that.
“I have learned to be more crafty with my shots.”
Kurpeikis mixed her shots brilliantly Monday night, totaling 10 kills to lift the Redhawks to a 25-21, 25-20 win over Lincoln-Way East in a Class 4A Mother McAuley Sectional semifinal.
Marist (33-4), which won its 10th straight match, will play for the sectional title at 6 p.m. Wednesday against the host Mighty Macs (33-5), a 25-16, 25-15 winner over Sandburg.
In her second varsity season, Kurpeikis has showcased her versatility and range, going from being a situational player a year ago to a key starter for the second-seeded RedHawks.
Kurpeikis tallied seven of her kills in the decisive second game, engineering a match-closing 10-2 run. Northwestern-bound junior outside hitter Bella Bullington also had 10 kills.
Bullington, who had winning kill in the first game, praised Kurpeikis’ performance.
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“Her game has really grown,” Bullington said of the Green Bay commit. “She makes a big impact out on the court. She has a great presence. You can see what she does out there.
“I have a huge trust she’s going to make those plays.”
Junior outside hitter Tamia Maddox also made big plays Lincoln-Way East (22-16), ending up with eight kills. She’s the daughter of Dante Maddox, Bloom’s boys basketball coach.
Maddox displayed breathtaking athleticism with her vertical game.
“I knew playing against a team this good, I couldn’t just tip the ball,” Maddox said. “I had to use power. People doubted us. We played with nothing to lose and we fought hard.
“The game was not a wipeout like a lot of people thought.”
Kurpeikis, meanwhile, finished off the match with five kills during Marist’s closing blitz, including the final two points.
“Just before I came back in during my final rotation, there was a weird call where we thought the point was ours but they ruled the point was theirs, and I got mad after that,” she said. “I told everybody this game was ours.”
A natural left-hander, the 5-foot-10 Kurpeikis loves playing on the right side. The angle and torque of the ball plays to her advantage.
“I learned a lot from the seniors who were here last year,” she said. “I was more of a supporting player, but I really worked hard after my junior season ended and during the offseason.
“I did a lot helping out with our summer workouts, and I feel like that helped me with my confidence.”
Kurpeikis also comes from an athletic family. Her father, Chris, played football at Michigan.
She’s the middle of three children. Her older sister, Ellie, is a junior middle hitter at Green Bay. Her youngest sister, Maggie, is a freshman outside hitter at Marist.
“Jess is a lot of different things,” Maggie said. “She’s one of the most intense and hardest working people you are ever going to see. She’s a competitor, and she has influenced me a lot.”
Interestingly, their mother, Jeanine, was a volleyball player at McAuley.
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Blood runs deeper than school ties.
“It was a lot different back when my mom was playing,” said Jessica, whose family lives in Beverly. “When it was time for Ellie to choose a school, my mom said she could go to McAuley or Marist. After Ellie picked here, I said that’s where I am also going.
“Now, my mom is a Marist fan.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.