For a player with the pedigree of St. Charles North’s Haley Burgdorf, offseason adjustments are often more of the fine-tuning variety rather than wholesale changes.
The 6-foot senior outside hitter confirmed that she worked on improving her vertical leap and perfecting her jump serve so she can be a six-rotational player the minute she gets to Penn State.
The main thing she worked on, however, may be even scarier for opponents.
She’s working on being more aggressive.
“You can’t be passive in the Big Ten,” Burgdorf said. “You have to be aggressive and be yourself. I definitely think that takes teaching. I was very passive freshman year. Being aggressive and being dominant is what I focused on. I think that’s something I struggle with and need to find in me.”
It definitely didn’t look like that was a problem Monday as Burgdorf delivered nine kills and four aces in powering the North Stars to a 25-15, 25-4 season-opening win over host Rosary in Aurora.
Amber Czerniak added five kills and two aces for St. Charles North (1-0). Sidney Wright tallied three kills, three aces and a block. Ellie Sutter also had three kills and Addison Kashuba added three aces.
Lorely Gonzalez came up with three kills and a block to pace Rosary (0-1).
Burgdorf wasted little time getting things going Monday. She put down a thunderous kill for the match’s second point as the North Stars roared to an 11-1 lead.
“When you play a team like that with a hitter like Haley, you expect them to be a little shell-shocked,” Rosary coach Kate Scafidi said what her Royals were facing. “There is a different pacing with these kids who know they want to go play in college and have committed.
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“That’s a team full of kids committed to go play in college playing a fast game.”
Burgdorf knew, if she wants to fulfill her dream of playing all six rotations at Penn State, she had some things to clean up in the offseason.
She showed off her jump serve twice Monday. Her improved passing will not only help the North Stars but it will only bolster her case for playing time for the Nittany Lions.
“At the next level, you have to be a pretty good passer to play all the way around and that’s what I want to do,” Burgdorf said. “There aren’t a lot of six-rotational pins in the bigger leagues.
“If I get (the serve) down, that would be pretty amazing. It’s definitely something I’m working on.”
St. Charles North coach Lindsey Hawkins has been impressed with the work Burgdorf put in but believes there’s still more work ahead of her.
“She’s working on her jumping,” Hawkins said. “She needs to be hitting a certain height for next year. She’s got to be able to pass at a really high level. She can hit whatever shot she wants in high school. She needs to learn how to use the block more and things like that.”
Leadership has always been something that has been placed on Burgdorf’s plate as well. Hawkins is happy to see how much she has blossomed in that way while maturing through the years.
“She’s always had to shoulder a big burden for this team,” Hawkins said. “Making people around her better, that’s been her biggest focus. She’s just so locked in.
“I’m really proud of her for just growing as a person too, the bonds that she has with the girls.”
The North Stars know they have a unique opportunity this season.
A run to a state championship is certainly in the cards, and Burgdorf would love nothing more than to end this chapter of her career with some hardware.
“We’re really excited and we know we have a chance,” Burgdorf said. “It’s just really exciting to see what we can do, especially because the last three years we’ve ended up short.
“We’re all locked in and ready to go.”
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Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.