Having played volleyball at the NCAA Division I level, Geneva coach Lauren Kosecki knows what separates the good ones from great ones.
She sees that in sophomore outside hitter Sam Vanda.
“The biggest thing is your demeanor — your confidence to go out there and play,” said Kosecki, who starred at Michigan State and Northern Illinois. “Sam has that.
“I tell the girls, ‘Don’t get down on yourselves. You’re going to make errors. That’s part of volleyball. You have to bounce back.’ Sam does a nice job of that. That’s something you need at the next level.”
Vanda showed some next-level stuff Monday in the season opener, lifting the Vikings to a 25-19, 25-17 nonconference victory over South Elgin. She had seven kills and three aces.
“My whole thing is forget about the last point, no matter good or bad,” Vanda said. “Anything can happen on the next point. I just think it’s all about moving on and doing what you can.”
The 5-foot-10 Vanda has had that competitive demeanor since she was a kid. Playing club for Fusion, Vanda showed up for the 12-year-old national team tryouts at age 10.
“When I walked in for tryouts, they were like, ‘Who is this girl?'” Vanda said. “She’s 10 years old. She’s not going to make the team.
“My coach came running over and said, ‘Just let her try out.’ And I made the team. I’ve been playing ever since.”
She has known she can hold her own ever since.
“I just want to bring the team together and make them the best they can be,” Vanda said. “I think this season we’re going to grow so much as a team.
“I really see potential. I feel like we’re going to come out and it’s going to be a whole new team this season. We’ve been going 100% all the time. We’re growing so much.”
Coming off an 8-26 record last season, Geneva wanted to get off to a strong start Monday.
The Vikings took an 8-1 lead in Game 1, with Vanda contributing her first two kills. Geneva then held off a late rally by South Elgin.
The Storm started Game 2 with a 4-0 lead, but Geneva quickly found its footing. The Vikings went on a 13-4 run to take control, with Vanda producing three kills.
“My girls have worked real hard in the offseason, so I was really pleased to see them come out and play well,” Kosecki said. “It was nice to get the first-game jitters out, play someone different. It was good.”
South Elgin played without Iowa recruit Alyssa Worden. A knee injury suffered in June will keep her out all season.
The Storm will have to adjust without its star in Worden, who isn’t just one of the best hitters in the state but also the team’s most complete all-around player.
“My first thought when I heard she got hurt was for her,” South Elgin coach Joni Plach said. “My second thought was, ‘How is the team going to handle it?’
“She’s such a big role player for us. I would argue with anyone that she was a top-five player in the state of Illinois.”
In Monday’s opener, Jazmine Binion picked up the slack for South Elgin with three kills and Alicia Ochoa added four aces.
Kosecki said Vanda is starting to generate interest among college coaches, although that process is in its early stages.
For her part, Vanda hopes this is her breakout season on an improving team.
“It makes me happy,” Vanda said. “It’s incredible. I’ve been playing since I was little. All the hard work is paying off.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.