Sports
Seniors Pushing Red Devils to Take Next Step
With two Division I recruits among seven returning players, the Hinsdale Central volleyball team is determined to accomplish more than a third consecutive regional title.
HINSDALE CENTRAL GIRLS VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW
COACH: Sheralynn Kellough (10th season, 202-126-6 record)
2010 RESULTS: 26-12 overall, 4-2 in West Suburban Conference Silver Division (3rd place); lost to Hinsdale South 25-23, 22-25, 25-18 in Class 4A Romeoville Sectional semifinals.
RETURNING STARTERS: Seniors Ally Davis (6-1 OH), Katie Grabowski (5-7 OH), Ellie Van Keirsbilck (5-8 S); and juniors Lucy Crofton (5-11 MH) and Meghan McDowell (6-3 S)
OTHER VARSITY RETURNEES: Seniors Emily Grasso (5-8 RS) and Sanne Hilbrich (6-1 MH)
VARSITY NEWCOMERS: Juniors Coco Bergdoll (5-8 OH), Rachael Lenderman (5-4 DS), Ashley Marinko (5-10 MH), Dominique Millette (6-2 MH) and Gabby Rutkauskas (5-8 RS); and freshman Lauren Fuller (6-2 OH)
OUTLOOK: The Red Devils have won regional titles the past two seasons and four out of the last six, but they’re still trying to at least capture the program’s first sectional champion since the 1977 third-place Class AA state finisher.
If the Red Devils go far in the playoffs, Kellough might not be around to see it. She’s pregnant for the first time and expecting twins, a boy and a girl, although the projected due date is Nov. 23, almost two weeks after the state championship match Nov. 12.
Kellough is on maternity leave from teaching at Hinsdale Central and missed the season-opening match with Lemont Aug. 24 after being ordered by her doctor to remain home. New assistant coach Maggie (Cooper) Stewart formerly was a varsity head girls volleyball coach at Saint Ignatius College Prep and played at the University of Michigan.
“She’s been outstanding,” Kellough said. “I want to be in the gym as much as I can but this is the first time in my life I really have to think about my kids before somebody else’s kids. It’s a different role for me, but it’s exciting and hopefully I’ll make it through a good chunk of the season.”
The lineup is fueled by a large group of focused seniors, including fourth-year starter Davis, a 2010 first-team all-stater who will play NCAA Division I volleyball next season at Michigan. As a junior, McDowell already has committed to Division I University of Virginia as a setter after being an outside hitter for the Red Devils in 2010.
All five returning seniors asked to be considered for a team captain. Davis and Grabowski were selected.
“It’s been a number of years where I’ve had all (my seniors) want the responsibility and pressure of that,” Kellough said. “It’s just a tight-knit senior group and they’re doing a really nice job being leaders for the team. I think that’s what has made this group jell so quickly. All five seniors are on board, on the same page and are leading the team in the same direction.”
The Red Devils (3-4) finished third in a powerful eight-team field at the Benet Invitational Friday and Saturday, lost to Lemont 24-26, 25-16, 25-19 in the opener and beat Waubonsie Valley 25-22, 25-18 Tuesday.
At Benet, the Red Devils topped Neuqua Valley 25-18, 25-17 for third after losing to York 25-13, 25-20, 20-25 in the semifinals. In pool play, the Red Devils beat Stagg 25-23, 25-17 and lost to Lemont 20-25, 25-23, 25-23 and invite champion Benet 25-14, 25-11. Davis and McDowell were named to the 12-player all-tournament team.
After the 2009 Red Devils reached the sectional final, the 2010 season ended a disappointing one match short, even with a strong group bolstered by graduated program standouts and current Division I players Jamie Netisingha (University of Cincinnati) and Natalia Skiba (Northeastern University), both special mention all-staters and All-WSC last season.
Davis also is among the all-time greats. On Friday, she became the program’s leader in documented career kills that date back to 2002 (873 after Tuesday), surpassing the 811 kills by 2006 graduate Kirstin Wagner, who also went on to play at Michigan.
Davis also has been the leader in documented career blocks (147 after Tuesday) since last season. She’s collected 15 kills in matches against Waubonsie and Lemont Friday.
“Ally has been an integral part of the continued growth of this team and this program. Her improvement as a player both skill-wise and leadership-wise has been crucial to our success," Kellough said. "To see her as the program leader in kills already only makes us more and more excited for what she will be able to do this year as a senior.”
Grabowski (88 kills, 120 digs, 23 aces) returns as the other outside hitter and also may play the full rotation. Also back as starters are McDowell (91 kills, 25 assists), who moves from right-side hitter to primary setter, middle hitter Crofton (4 kills, 7 blocks) and Van Keirsbilck (898 assists, 121 digs, 35 aces), last year’s primary setter and a strong server who will be part of a two-setter offense or contribute in the back row.
“More important is how we jell as a team and group and focus on our strengths and be the most competitive team we can possibly be,” Kellough said. “We’re asking (returnees and newcomers) to play their role and work hard and improve and bring that piece of the puzzle to the overall picture of the team.”
In the offseason, Davis sprained her meniscus yet finished her club season before sitting out the end of summer league, which the Red Devils still won, and the first week of high-school tryouts.
“She’s such a competitive player and doesn’t want to be taken off the court,” Kellough said.
Unfortunately for the Red Devils, the ailments haven’t stopped there. After tryouts, they only had eight healthy players.
Grasso (5 kills), a key right-side contributor and emotional spark last season, just was cleared to return last week after a bout with mononucleosis. Crofton has been back less than two weeks from a sprained ankle.
Meanwhile, Hilbrich, a middle hitter, is healthy this year after missing the 2010 season with a broken leg.
“We’re looking to get 12 players healthy right now and go from there,” Kellough said.
McDowell probably will have the most drastic role change. Recruited as a 6-3 setter, she not only will have a bigger role offensively but also contribute full rotation.
“She swings really well, too, so we’re trying to find a balance of what’s best with our personnel all of the time,” Kellough said.
Lenderman and Bergdoll are competing for the libero spot previously held by Netisingha. Another big newcomer is Fuller, who is starting at right-side hitter.
“You can’t teach 6-2. She’s got some stuff to learn about the game but she’s a really, really hard worker,” Kellough said. “She’s definitely ready to be training and playing at this level.”
The Red Devils haven’t won a conference title since 1976. But the Silver includes defending Class 4A state champion Lyons Township and fourth-place state finisher York. The Dukes, second at the Benet Invite, return most of their starting lineup. LT returns three starters but all four-year varsity players.
QUOTABLE: “(Our players have) set some really high goals, attainable but not easy. They want to win conference, win sectionals. They want to get downstate,” Kellough said. “We’ve got enough kids back that experienced the rough start to last season and that ended more prematurely than we wanted. At the same time, we have newcomers who were very much involved with what the varsity was doing and they’re coming in hungry, even as juniors, and wanting to go further.”
