Those seeing Shepard’s Oliver Bilik slam a volleyball down for the first time might be amazed at the junior outside hitter’s jumping ability.
Those who have known the 5-foot-8 Bilik for a while might not even blink twice at how high he can leap. Jumping is second nature to him.
“I was always active as a kid,” Bilik said. “I was always climbing trees and jumping. I always jump whenever I can. If there is a basketball hoop around, I try to jump as high as I can.”
Bilik and his teammates got the jump on opponents all day Saturday as the Astros won five matches to earn the championship of the nine-team Eisenhower Invitational in Blue Island.
Bilik came through with nine kills and two aces to help the Astros beat St. Laurence 25-22, 25-15 in the final match.
Senior outside hitter Dylan Harkala added nine kills and junior middle Connor Evans chalked up eight for the Astros (14-3). Evan Topel led St. Laurence (5-9) with five kills. Anthony Rocush had three blocks.
There’s a school of thought that maintains it’s tough to beat a team three times in a season.
Well, Shepard beat the Vikings three times in an eight-day span — a win at the Argo Invitational on April 4, plus a pool win and the title match Saturday. They will also meet on May 4 in Burbank.
“I tell the players they have to play their game every single time,” Shepard coach Grace Culver said. “I think (Saturday) we locked in and recognized patterns that we’ve seen in their game before and we were able to execute our game plan.”
That can work both ways. After a close first game, St. Laurence took an 8-4 lead in the second game before Bilik stepped to the service line and reeled off six straight points with two aces.
And he brings more to the table.
“Not only is he a great hitter, he’s an amazing blocker and he’s one of my best defensive passers,” Culver said of Bilik. “He’s extremely knowledgeable and has a great IQ of reading hitters.”
Culver has also been amazed at Bilik’s jumping ability. From day one, she knew she had something special.
“The kid was jumping like that as a freshman,” Culver said of Bilik. “When I first saw him jump, it’s like, ‘Wow, he’s going to be a varsity member.’
“I pulled him up as a sophomore and I have no regrets.”
Evans, who is also club teammates with Bilik for Windy City Premier, has seen him handle a variety of roles.
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“He plays libero in club,” Evans said of Bilik. “He has a good IQ, I would say. He’s an all-around good player.”
Shepard finished 21-15 last spring, but with several players back, there was a hope for a big improvement this season.
The Astros opened up with a 25-17, 25-19 loss to Lockport in the RedHawk Classic at Marist. A 25-21, 23-25, 15-7 loss to Lane Tech didn’t sit well either with the Astros, but it gave them a little bit of confidence as Lane Tech took third last season in the state tournament.
Shepard has been on a roll ever since. While the Astros lost to Lockport in a rematch at the Argo Tournament, they gave the Porters a battle in a 25-26, 25-20, 18-16 setback.
“We got our feet wet and saw what we were capable of,” Bilik said of the start. “We were competing against Lane Tech, a team that was predicted to be top 10 in the state and went to three with them.
“We gained a lot of momentum and showed a lot of potential.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.