Before he started eighth grade, Sandburg’s Jake Drew had two ACL surgeries on his right knee.
Both were football injuries. And both kept him out of action for a while.
“The first one happened when I was in fourth grade,” said Drew, a junior outside hitter. “The second happened when I was in seventh. Usually, young kids don’t get injured like that, but I guess the wrong pivot just messed up my leg for a long time.
“But I’m better now and stronger than ever.”
That said, after hurting his left knee in practice Tuesday, Drew feared the worst.
By Wednesday night, all was well. Drew limped around with his knee wrapped up but tallied eight kills, helping the host Eagles to a 25-22, 25-14 nonconference win over Oak Lawn in Orland Park.
Senior setter/right-side hitter Easton Donausky delivered two kills, three blocks and a pair of aces for Sandburg (8-9), while Caden Jobb added four kills.
Macro Budzak, Lucas Muresan and Nathan Brennan each had three kills for Oak Lawn (13-9). The Spartans scored nine of their 14 points in the second game on serving or hitting errors.
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The 6-foot Drew, who played safety for the Eagles last fall in football, explained that he went up for a hit toward the end of Tuesday’s practice.
“I jumped up for a swing and when I landed, I felt it buckle,” he said of his knee. “At first when I felt it, I did get a little nervous. At the end of the day, I just iced it, rested it, and I was ready to play.”
Drew estimated that the leg was 80% healthy for the all-important skill of jumping against Oak Lawn. Donausky, meanwhile, was happy Drew was able to answer the bell.
“He’s a big hitter,” Donausky said. “He has a super-strong hit. He’s super athletic and is very versatile.”
Drew doesn’t play club volleyball, but that doesn’t matter to Sandburg coach Madisen Babich.
“He a natural athlete and I think he will probably play at the next level for football,” Babich said of Drew. “He doesn’t need to play club because the ability and the athleticism will keep him right there with all of the other varsity guys.”
But there’s still a learning curve for Drew.
“As a junior, he’s finding a way to learn the game,” Babich said of Drew. “He has to learn it pretty fast because he doesn’t have time.
“We threw him in there this year and he definitely has a big role. He could be a six-rotation outside eventually. We have to work on his passing, and we’re trying to enhance his IQ day by day.”
The Eagles, who graduated a ton of hitting power from last season’s state quarterfinalist, are struggling to reach the .500 mark. Babich noted that Sandburg has taken some strong teams to three games.
At the Wheaton Warrenville South Tiger Classic over the weekend, the Eagles lost to eventual tournament champion Wheaton North 25-14, 18-25, 25-13 in pool play and then downstate power Belleville East 19-25, 25-21, 25-18 in bracket play.
“We’ve been working really hard in practice and it’s been a lot of trial and error,” Donausky said.
Despite the struggles to win with regularity, Drew confirmed he’s having fun with this team.
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“My eighth grade year, all my buddies were playing volleyball and I thought that I might as well give it a try,” he said. “I jumped pretty high and I was pretty good at it. And it carried out from there.
“I really like the guys on the team. We have a good connection. It’s a brotherhood like football is, too.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.