Lions Volleyball Enjoying the Ride on Top of I-8 Conference

Lisle’s girls volleyball team reached the end of the line last year in the regional semifinals just before Halloween.

But with several key players back from that 2010 team—and a year of experience under their belts—the Lions are good this year. Scary good.

The Interstate Eight-leading Lions (15-3 overall), who went into their victory against Coal City on Tuesday night undefeated in league play (5-0), are hoping not only to win the I-8 title, but extend their 2011 season in the Class 2A playoffs well beyond Halloween.

“I think it (the team’s success) has a lot to do with last year because we basically have the same team as last year,” said senior outside hitter Vanessa Abenante, a varsity player for four years. “We’re a little more older and more experienced. That helps a lot because in volleyball, experience is huge.”

Abenante and a strong contingent of seniors are being pushed by a solid core of underclassmen—all of whom bring the best out of the team, says coach Matt Hrubesky.

“We have a group of great seniors who work together, and for the most part, are pretty unflappable on the court,” said Hrubesky, in his 11th year. “One sophomore and five juniors battle every day in practice and it really helps sharpen them up. They keep working hard and it’s great.”

“This year we’re getting along really well and bonding really well,” observed right-side hitter Beth Plucinski. “We’re just playing well together. We’re all friends and all of our energies are good. We don’t have a Debbie Downer on the team. We’re just mixing well, playing well.”

Abenante doesn’t possess prototypical outside hitter size at 5-6, but she’s one of Lisle’s go-to players. She hammered down a team-leading 11 kills during last week’s I-8 victory at Seneca.

“Vanessa’s a special kid,” Hrubesky said. “She’s the best defensive player I’ve had and she’s a load on the outside. She’s a ferocious competitor; she doesn’t like to lose a point. She’s not a big kid, but she leaps and has the heart of a lion.”

Plucinski (6-0) and middle hitter Darian Payne (5-10), both seniors, provide the Lions with good size up front. Plucinski and Payne added six and five kills, respectively, for Lisle over Seneca. Shelby Kretman, a 5-8 senior, also gives the Lions depth in the middle.

Nowadays, playing club volleyball during the off-season is pretty much a given to become better and keep pace with opposing players’ skill levels. What makes Lisle’s 2011 success even more notable is that only two of its regulars, Abenante and Plucinski, play for club teams. Payne, Kretman and senior setter Anita Urban are among those who don’t play club volleyball, yet hold key positions for the Lions.

“Darian and Shelby are both my middles,” Hrubesky said. “Middle is a tough position to play without (playing) club. There’s just a lot of timing and a lot of things that are tougher in the middle. Both have improved tremendously since the season began.

“Anita’s done a really nice job of getting a lot of work done in a short time,” he added. “Being a setter without playing club puts her behind. She’s doing a crash course. We’re asking her to fix every set all the time … there’s so many things for her to do. It’s been a lot of work for her, and she’s doing a fantastic job.”

Anita is another in a long line of Urbans who’ve made their mark at Lisle. She’s the cousin of , now playing soccer at Iowa, and Nicole’s sister, Kelly. Kelly also is part of the volleyball team, but she won’t see any action this season. The junior is rehabbing from surgery after tearing her ACL during the 2010-11 basketball season.

A look up and down the Lions’ volleyball roster reveals a virtual who’s who of Lisle girls sports. Payne, Kretman and Kelly Urban all start for the Lions’ girls basketball team, while junior Kristina Fernette saw time off the bench. Kretman and Summer Stitt, the team’s only sophomore, started at second and short, respectively for the Lions’ which finished fourth at state tournament last spring. Fernette and junior Abby Tarasewicz also were part of the state-qualifying squad.

All that experience playing under pressure in other sports is an intangible that serves each of these multi-sport athletes well on the volleyball court, too.

“Small-school kids do a lot of different things,” Hrubesky said. “Some kids pick up a lot of valuable things from other sports. Maybe it’s confidence, maybe a toughness, maybe quick feet. There’s a lot of crossover that’s very valuable.”

Hrubesky said defensive specialist Kayla Hanley, libero Frankie Parrillo and outside hitter Becky Fuys—all seniors—each play important roles on the club. He calls Parrillo “the glue to what we do” and Fuys “my most improved player.”

“She (Parrillo) gets overlooked because of the grunt work she does,” Hrubesky said. “She plays super tough defense. Becky has come around to be a reliable passer, defender and hitter. She has really improved as her confidence has grown.”