Telling funning jokes at practice has turned Lockport sophomore Bridget Ferriter into a big hit with her teammates.
Just ask senior outside hitter Kylee Schurig.
“Oh, she’s a joy to have around,” Schurig said, laughing. “She’s just a very dry, sarcastic kind of funny. When you’re on the court or if you’re down, it just lifts everybody up.”
Ferriter? She’ll take the love.
“I think I’m on the quiet side,” Ferriter said. “But once you get to know me, I kind of get more comfortable. A lot of people think I’m funny. I guess it came naturally.”
So has becoming a force on the court, which she displayed two times Wednesday night in the Autumn Knights Invitational at Lincoln-Way Central in New Lenox.
In the opener, Lockport beat Oak Forest 25-17, 25-16. Ferriter finished with four kills, while Lainey Green chipped in with 17 assists and five aces.
In their second match, the Porters downed Reavis 25-21, 25-22. Ferriter led with six kills. Schurig contributed seven kills and 11 digs, while Green had 23 assists for Lockport (21-6).
It has been a year of big changes for Ferriter.
As a freshman, she made the varsity in basketball. She was on the JV team in volleyball.
Ferriter was with the varsity in volleyball for the state playoffs, but missed the postseason meeting with Lockport coach Nick Mraz because she had a basketball commitment.
That won’t happen again. She has dropped basketball to concentrate on volleyball.
“I just always kind of knew that volleyball was my sport,” Ferriter said. “Even in junior high, I always liked volleyball more.
“I love the pace of the game and how team involved it is. Everyone has to be doing something and contributing to have success.”
Ferriter, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter, has been an offensive powerhouse this season for the Porters. Her 154 kills are right behind Schurig’s 157.
“Bridget is our most terminal pin right now,” Mraz said. “We have that trust with her that she can put the ball away when we need her to. There has never been a moment when we’ve been worried about, ‘Oh, we have to maybe pull her.’
“She has been very consistent throughout. That’s what you want from a sophomore.”
Her emergence has been key for the Porters, who lost outside hitters Grace Juergens and Aleksa Simkus to graduation and middle hitter Jenna Kolosta to an injury.
Green, for one, couldn’t wait for the new arrival.
“I remember seeing Bridget last season coming into our gym at tryouts,” Green said. “I just knew that she would step into the role and play it well. I knew she’d be a big part of Lockport volleyball.
“Bridget is very easy to work with. She’s very flexible with my sets. Sometimes they aren’t good, but she always adjusts. She’s an easy person to connect with.”
It also has worked out well for Schurig to have a new power-hitting partner.
“Bridget has done great,” Schurig said. “She’s fun to play with, and she has good energy. She picked it up from the start. I really didn’t have to say anything.
“I know all of us worked with her a little bit last season. We saw the potential that she had, and she really stepped up to play as well as she is now.”
Ferriter didn’t need a meeting with the coach to know what responsibilities lay ahead of her.
“During club season, I worked hard because I knew that when I came back to high school I would have to play,” Ferriter said. “I was really going to miss Grace. My sister was on the team before, so I watched Grace for a few years.
“When I knew I was going to have to take her spot on the court, I was kind of worried. But the people on the team made the transition easy.”