Homewood-Flossmoor junior Sydney Skinner describes herself as a very scrappy defensive player on the volleyball court.
And she will spell it out for you.
“I’m a D-A-W-G,” Skinner said. “A dawg is somebody who goes for everything, even if they do not have a chance. They are still going to be there.
“They are always there and do the most they can to give their team a chance of winning.”
Skinner was there when the Vikings needed her most Monday night in a 25-9, 25-11 nonconference victory over host Richards in Oak Lawn.
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Tatiana Cummings contributed with five kills for H-F (14-13), while Jayda Bronson-Smith, Perri Senegal and Cherron Calhoun added four kills apiece. Skinner was good on limited chances with seven good serve-receives, three digs, an assist and a kill.
Emily Navarro and Phalyn Dyson paced Richards (3-25) with two kills each. Finley O’Boyle recorded an ace.
Skinner, a 5-foot-5 libero, has been the Vikings’ runaway defensive leader for the past two seasons. As a sophomore, she had 278 digs. The next highest had 136.
So far this season, she has delivered 244 digs and sits right behind Calhoun in good serve receives with 306.
Some of her defensive plays have been — if not legendary — certainly memorable.
“I remember last season at Bolingbrook, she was hustling for a ball and hit her head on the floor,” Calhoun said. “She got a big knot.”
Indeed, Skinner is definitely a feisty one.
“I remember freshman year on JV, I got a really good kill,” Calhoun said, laughing. “After it, she pushed me right to the ground.”
Sometimes, according to H-F coach Nate Nesbit, Skinner can appear to be in two places at the same time.
“It can happen in any given match, but we had match this season on senior night when there was a tip to zone 4,” Nesbit said. “It was outside the block. No one was going to get there. Then Syd comes flying out of nowhere and passes the ball while she’s fully horizontal.
“Then, by the time the hitter was set up to hit the ball, she was already back up covering, ready to play defense if they get blocked.”
Skinner, who plays soccer in the spring, is the second in her family to play multiple sports at H-F.
Her older sister Skylar, a 2025 graduate, was a two-time all-conference shortstop in softball and a two-time all-state setter in volleyball. She’s playing softball in college at Campbell.
“I would say I look at her as a role model, especially in volleyball,” Skinner said. “She had a lot of awards, and I definitely want to get the ones she did. Just being her younger sister, I look up to her for everything. I’d like on the court to have some of her resemblance.”
But not all. The younger Skinner plays a different position in volleyball and a different sport in the spring.
“I started as a setter in middle school because Skylar set,” Skinner said. “But I think I like playing libero more. I like having the different color jersey and I like getting balls up that people don’t usually get up. For me, I just like to see the ball and get the ball. It’s the thrill of it.
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“I did play softball for a while, but I like soccer more. Something is always going on and I like to be in it. I like to have different focuses. And my mom (Sarah) played soccer in college, so I always wanted to follow her route.”
Her college aspirations are crystal clear.
“I definitely want a collegiate career in volleyball,” Skinner said. “I have more passion for volleyball. But soccer keeps me in shape for it.”
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.