Chicago Christian’s Quinn Grevengoed was in seventh grade in 2021 when she fell in love with what she saw from the stands at Redbird Arena in Normal.
She was there to watch her older sisters, Logan and Delanie, help the Knights take third place in the state in Class 2A. Caught up in the excitement, she formulated some big dreams back then.
“I said, ‘That could be me one day,’’’ Grevengoed said.
That one day is getting closer to the finish line.
The Southern Indiana-bound senior outside hitter tallied 11 kills and five digs Thursday night, leading the host Knights to a 25-19, 25-20 Chicagoland Christian Conference win over Marian Central Catholic on Fight Cancer Night in Palos Heights.
Ella Agema, who returned from a knee injury suffered on Sept. 15, added seven kills for Chicago Christian (22-8, 6-2). Sydney Harris had five kills, while Kambry James dished out 10 assists and Lily Loerop
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recorded six digs against the Hurricanes (6-20, 3-4).Agema’s return is big. The junior right-side hitter sprained her MCL on the first point of a Chicagoland Christian Conference match against Timothy Christian.
“I was on crutches quite a bit,” she said. “I’ve been putting in the work with (physical training) and (Thursday) is the first day I was officially cleared.”
Grevengoed, who has led her team to another big season but has only one more chance to make her dream a reality, is happy to have Agema back on the court.
“I think we really need Ella right now because we’ve had a lot of sickness and injury the past three weeks,” Grevengoed said. “Having her back is a big game-changer for us.”
The 6-foot-1 Grevengoed has been on the varsity all four years and witnessed firsthand the heartbreak of missing a chance to get back to Normal as a player.
The Knights have been to the supersectional four straight seasons. She has been a part of three near-misses.
“It’s been exciting that we made it to the supersectional every time,” she said. “But it’s super hard to lose when you don’t play your best. There are a lot of nerves and we’ve had younger teams.
“But we’re more experienced this year. In all of my four years here, this is our best group so far.”
Hours before Thursday’s match, the Illinois High School Association released its postseason seeds. Host Chicago Christian is seeded second in a sub-sectional behind Manteno (25-0). The Knights eliminated the Panthers in last year’s sectional semifinals 25-19, 25-19.
“You always think about it,” Grevengoed said of the seeds. “But we’re just trying to get better as a team. We’re not concerned with anybody else.
“When the time comes to play them, we’ll be locked in and focused.”
Grevengoed’s father, Troy, moved over from Richards and has been Chicago Christian’s coach the past four seasons. He’s also hoping to get past the Elite Eight and into the Final Four.
“Our chances are as good as any,” he said. “We have the pieces and the court experience.”
At the same time, having Quinn on that court makes things happen.
“She’s taken on the most vocal leadership role as she has ever had,” Troy said of Quinn. “She’s always been a physical leader but on the court, she’s having a bigger presence. She’s talking more in the huddles on the court and she’s giving them higher-level strategy.”
Growing up in a volleyball family didn’t mean Quinn was going to automatically take to the sport right away. She played both volleyball and soccer before she finding her passion for volleyball.
“Volleyball feels more free and there’s so much more to do,” she said. “In soccer, I feel like it’s just straight running. In volleyball, you get to do everything, especially as an outside hitter.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.