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There was a bit of trash talking going on between Lyons Township junior Jocelynn Birks and some of her volleyball teammates during downtime two weekends ago as the Lions prepared for their first state championship match in 20 years.
Birks wasn’t talking about statistics, though. She wasn’t talking about volleyball at all.
No, the star outside hitter, who has already verbally committed to Illinois, was talking smack about something a little more elementary. “She was like, ‘None of you guys can color better than me,” teammate Alexis Viliunas remembered. “I really didn’t know she liked to color until she had that coloring book with her.”
That’s right. Birks likes to color and she is not embarrassed about it one bit. That is why she decided to bring a box of 120 Crayons and a coloring book with pictures of dinosaurs in it to the state tournament.
“It’s a little bit of a stress reliever, I’d say,” said Birks, who looked anything but stressed this season as she led LT to a runner-up finish at the Class 4A state meet.
Birks finished the year with a team-high 358 kills, and also had 84 digs, 40 solo blocks and 28 aces as the Lions finished the season 37-5. “I think that we all clicked really well this season and played great together as a team,” Birks said. “That’s why we were so successful at the end because we all came together and were close as a team on and off the court.”
While the experience at state was certainly memorable for the 6-foot-2 junior, the match she will remember most was the one that allowed the Lions to advance there in the first place. LT defeated longtime rival Mother McAuley 26-24, 25-22 in their supersectional matchup on Nov. 7, a win that was a bit of redemption for the Lions, who lost to the Mighty Macs 27-25, 16-25, 18-25 on Oct. 21.
Mother McAuley also knocked LT out of the postseason the previous two years.
“We have been going at it with them for so long,” Birks said. “Finally we pulled through and beat them and made it to state.”
Birks led LT with 10 kills in a 25-17, 25-16 win over Quincy in the semifinals, and had a team-high eight kills in a 23-25, 17-25 loss to Cary-Grove in the state championship.
The final match did not end how Birks or her teammates wanted it too, but it provided extra motivation for next year. “We had a good taste of what state is like,” Birks said. “There are going to be a lot of changes (next season) in position and personalities because some of our seniors were kind of keeping our team together. Someone will need to step up next year and be a leader as a senior.”
There was a bit of trash talking going on between Lyons Township junior Jocelynn Birks and some of her volleyball teammates during downtime two weekends ago as the Lions prepared for their first state championship match in 20 years.
Birks wasn’t talking about statistics, though. She wasn’t talking about volleyball at all.
No, the star outside hitter, who has already verbally committed to Illinois, was talking smack about something a little more elementary. “She was like, ‘None of you guys can color better than me,” teammate Alexis Viliunas remembered. “I really didn’t know she liked to color until she had that coloring book with her.”
That’s right. Birks likes to color and she is not embarrassed about it one bit. That is why she decided to bring a box of 120 Crayons and a coloring book with pictures of dinosaurs in it to the state tournament.
“It’s a little bit of a stress reliever, I’d say,” said Birks, who looked anything but stressed this season as she led LT to a runner-up finish at the Class 4A state meet.
Birks finished the year with a team-high 358 kills, and also had 84 digs, 40 solo blocks and 28 aces as the Lions finished the season 37-5. “I think that we all clicked really well this season and played great together as a team,” Birks said. “That’s why we were so successful at the end because we all came together and were close as a team on and off the court.”
While the experience at state was certainly memorable for the 6-foot-2 junior, the match she will remember most was the one that allowed the Lions to advance there in the first place. LT defeated longtime rival Mother McAuley 26-24, 25-22 in their supersectional matchup on Nov. 7, a win that was a bit of redemption for the Lions, who lost to the Mighty Macs 27-25, 16-25, 18-25 on Oct. 21.
Mother McAuley also knocked LT out of the postseason the previous two years.
“We have been going at it with them for so long,” Birks said. “Finally we pulled through and beat them and made it to state.”
Birks led LT with 10 kills in a 25-17, 25-16 win over Quincy in the semifinals, and had a team-high eight kills in a 23-25, 17-25 loss to Cary-Grove in the state championship.
The final match did not end how Birks or her teammates wanted it too, but it provided extra motivation for next year. “We had a good taste of what state is like,” Birks said. “There are going to be a lot of changes (next season) in position and personalities because some of our seniors were kind of keeping our team together. Someone will need to step up next year and be a leader as a senior.”
That leadership role is one Birks wants to step into. Viliunas did not think that transition would be a problem because she saw Birks as a secondary leader this season anyway. “I think she will fit in perfectly,” Viliunas said.
Fortunately for Birks, she will not have to worry about college decisions during her senior season. She gave a verbal commitment in October to the Illini, who in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association were ranked fifth in the country. “I really liked the atmosphere that I felt when I went there (to visit),” Birks said. “It felt like I would fit in right away. It was like a big family and I really liked that about it.”
Before joining the orange and blue family, though, Birks remains focused on her blue and gold family at LT. That family voted her team MVP on the bus ride home from state, recognition she said could have gone to someone else. “It’s a great honor to be recognized by my teammates,” Birks said. “I know there are a lot of other people on the team who could easily be MVP as well.”
But the honor went to Birks, who will carry it, and maybe a couple of Crayons and coloring books, into what she hopes will be a memorable 2010 season.
Now meet the Fall 2009 All-Area Girls Team:
Jocelynn Birks
Lyons Township, junior
Volleyball
Birks was voted MVP by her teammates after leading the Lions to a second-place finish in the Class 4A state tournament. Birks anchored LT’s attack with 358 kills, and also had 84 digs, 40 solo blocks and 28 aces.
Kelly Brennan
Fenwick, junior
Volleyball
Brennan was the Friars’ lone all-East Suburban Catholic Conference selection. The junior played outside hitter and posted a .278 hitting percentage with an average of 3.1 kills per game and 315 digs for the entire season.
Hadley Burke
Lyons Township, senior
Tennis
The top doubles team for the Lions went 3-1 at the state meet before losing in the tournament’s fourth round. Burke and Reisch were third-place finishers at the Lyons sectional behind two doubles teams from Hinsdale Central, who went on to win the state team championship. Burke and Reisch finished 19-9 for the year and helped the Lions finish sixth overall at state.
Mary Kate Campbell
Fenwick, senior
Swimming and diving
The senior made the most of her experience at this past weekend’s state meet by coming in fourth place in the 1-meter dive. Campbell came away with a score of 429.95 and missed third place by just under two points.
Margaret Connelly
Fenwick, senior
Cross country
The senior closed out her cross country career with a 39th-place finish at the Class 3A state meet. Connelly posted a time of 18:20 and also collected a 16th-place finish at the Class 3A Niles West sectional in 19:12.
Katie Ellis
Lyons Township, sophomore
Cross country
The LT sophomore finished 69th overall in her first trip to the Class AA state tournament. Ellis consistently shot in the low 80s during the season as the Lions’ No. 1 golfer and finished in a tie for fourth overall at the Nazareth Academy regional.
Lisa Gordon
Lyons Township, sophomore
Cross country
Gordon finished 30th overall at the Class 3A state meet with a time of 18:22 to lead the Lions to a 10th-place finish. The sophomore also won the Lyons regional in 18:42.
Gigi Groya
Lyons Township, junior
Swimming and diving
Groya had a busy day Saturday at the state swim meet finals. The junior finished third overall in the 100-yard backstroke and was a member of the Lions' fourth-place 200 medley relay team. Groya also was on LT's 10th-place 400 freestyle relay and took 11th in the 100 freestyle.
Tina Harazin
Lyons Township, senior
Tennis
The Lions’ No. 1 singles player took third at state after finishing the two-day tournament 5-1. Her only loss at state came to Deerfield’s Julia Fellerhoff, who finished second overall. It was Harazin’s third straight year with a third-place finish at state after she earned all-state honors the previous two years as a doubles competitor. She will play tennis next year in the Big Ten at Iowa.
Kelsey Kilrea
Lyons Township, senior
Cross country
Kilrea was the Lions’ No. 1 runner all season, but a sprained ankle in the Lockport sectional forced the senior to miss the Class 3A state meet. Despite the ankle injury, Kilrea still managed to finish 16th at the sectional to lead LT.
Jamie Lundstrom
Lyons Township, senior
Volleyball
The Lions’ libero was a crucial component of a team that made it to the Class 4A state championship match for the first time in 20 years. Lundstrom finished the season with a team-high 350 digs.
Jill Milligan
Nazareth, senior
Volleyball
The libero led the Roadrunners to the Class 3A supersectional match this fall. She earned her second all-East Suburban Catholic Conference selection and was a captain for the Roadrunners. Her passing percentage was 2.27 out of a 3.0 scale. The senior also had 33 service aces and averaged 11.2 digs per match.
Alexis Reisch
Lyons Township, junior
Tennis
The top doubles team for the Lions went 3-1 at the state meet before losing in the tournament’s fourth round. Burke and Reisch were third-place finishers at the Lyons sectional behind two doubles teams from Hinsdale Central, who went on to win the state team championship. Burke and Reisch finished 19-9 for the year and helped the Lions finish sixth overall at state.
Samantha Oberholtzer
Riverside Brookfield, senior
Cross country
Oberholtzer was the Bulldogs’ lone representative at the Class 2A state meet and finished 35th overall in 19:26. The RB senior took third overall at the Jones sectional.
Jill Paluch
Nazareth, senior
Volleyball
The setter is a two-time all-East Suburban Catholic Conferenc selection and was a captain for a Nazareth squad that came within one win of advancing to the Class 3A state tourney. Paluch also was all-tournament at Glenbrook North and Champaign Centennial. She averaged 22 assists and 7.4 digs per match while also tallying a season total of 80 kills and 38 service aces.
Kelly Ryan
Fenwick, senior
Swimming and diving
Ryan ended her high school career with a complete performance at the state meet. She became the Friars’ first ever individual winner at the state meet by coming in first place in the 100-yard backstroke. She was also fifth in the 200 freestyle and was a member of the 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay, which both finished in third place.
Alysa Straub
Nazareth, freshman
Tennis
Straub was able to maximize her varsity debut this season by qualifying for the state meet after advancing out of the Lyons Township sectional. At the state meet, the freshman defeated Jessica Urban of Lemont 6-2, 6-2 and Becca Newmark of North Shore Country Day 6-0, 6-0 before falling in the third round.
Danielle Tombalato
Morton, junior
Volleyball
At 6-foot, the junior middle hitter was a significant contributor to the Mustangs’ front row. She finished the year with 183 kills and 54 blocks while also being named all-West Suburban Gold. Tombalato also was all-tournament at Glenbard East and Rich East.
Alexis Viliunas
Lyons Township, sophomore
Volleyball
Viliunas teamed with Erin Juley to give the Lions a dynamic one-two tandem at setter, and the sophomore led the team with 543 assists. Viliunas also finished with 246 digs, 210 kills and 43 aces.
Rita Witteman
Riverside Brookfield, senior
Volleyball
Witteman was one of two setters in the Bulldogs offensive attack and helped lead RB to the sectional semifinals and a 17-21 record. The senior passed on her experience to the rest of her teammates and was a clear leader on the court for the Bulldogs.
HONORABLE MENTION:
FENWICK
Rebecca Steinmeyer, cross country; Vanessa Righeimer, cross country; Audrey Kiefer, tennis; Christina Jand, tennis; Julie Comfort, tennis; Mia Mastrangeli, tennis
LYONS TOWNSHIP
Eliza Dudley, cross country; Carly Rocco, cross country; Kyle Hopwood, golf; Linsday Purpura, golf; Rachael Johnson, golf; Madeline Barnabee, tennis; Stephanie Eastman, tennis; Erin Juley, volleyball; Laura Williams, volleyball; Katie Bazzoni, volleyball; Maureen Stroka, volleyball; Tiffany Vazquez, volleyball; Hillary Weigand, swimming; Erika Ronning, swimming; Jennifer Weigand, swimming; Kristi Carling, diving; Madeleine Moeller, swimming; Annie Radville, swimming
MORTON
Mia Young, volleyball; Vlasta Mangia, volleyball
NAZARETH
Brittany Brown, volleyball; Colleen McCollom, volleyball; Charlotte Walsh, cross country; Alyssa Levato, cross country; Josie Moreno, cross country; Kathryn Pelino Nazareth, golf; Megan Pelino, golf
PROVISO WEST
Crystal Hutson, volleyball; Lemonica Gale, volleyball
RIVERSIDE BROOKFIELD
Amanda Gregus, swimming; Jessie Hutchens, volleyball; Liz Demitro, volleyball
