EPCHS Alum In The Spotlight: Marie Zidek, Class Of 2002

The head coach of the DePaul University volleyball team fondly remembers her two years as a student and star volleyball player at Evergreen Park Community High School.

Marie Zidek attended EPCHS from 1998-2000 before having to transfer to another school, but still made a huge impact as a Mustang by making the varsity volleyball team her freshman year in addition to her involvement in the school’s Madrigal choir, basketball and softball teams and other student associations.

“I had an amazingly well-rounded high school experience at EPCHS,” Zidek said. “A special thing about EPCHS was the opportunities the school encouraged and provided its students.”

Playing varsity volleyball as a freshman allowed Zidek to “help an already strong team to high levels of success,” she said. It was a squad that three years later, without Zidek, compiled a stellar 30-3 record.

“That team was stacked with all-around athletes,” Zidek said. “They had players that played all different sports, which provided a really unique connection on the court that other teams didn’t have.”

One of those players, Zidek’s childhood friend, Corinne Walsh, was reunited with her in college as the two starred together at Northern Illinois University.

“Corinne was one of the best athletes to ever come out of Evergreen Park,” Zidek said. “We grew up near one another and got to start playing volleyball and softball together in grade school. The connection we had from 6th grade on through the end of our college years was transformational.”

Singing with the EPCHS Madrigals, Zidek had the chance to travel to Italy and perform inside the Vatican.

“In terms of student life, I enjoyed participating in decorating the class homecoming floats and in the variety of dances held across the year. With time to look back on my experience, I really appreciate how much the teachers and staff members invested in us as students in all of these different areas.”

Zidek’s coaching career got a jump start when she was in graduate school at Oregon State University.

“I had the opportunity to coach on staff with Oregon State volleyball under our former USA National Team coach, Terry Liskevych,” she said. “A master of training and scouting, what he really taught me in addition to those things was how to build and run a successful program like a business. I really had a chance to learn what happened behind the scenes. Everybody thinks that the most we do is coach in matches, but actually coaching is 80% administrative and business based … a lot of planning and building … in order to make sure you have a great product in season and that collegiate volleyball remains a transformational opportunity for the players you recruit into your program.”

“My 3 years at Oregon State just confirmed what I already knew – I’d be a coach,” she added. “My mom was an All-American volleyball player and then a phenomenal coach, and I would be following in her footsteps with coaching being my primary vocation.”

Now at the helm of the DePaul program, Zidek says “championship chasing” is a part of everything they do.

“On the court in the Big East, off the court in the classroom, and in the community with our ability to take our experience to positively impact others,” she said. “I believe this program is structured and organized to be a top 50 national program. DePaul has enjoyed what every program has endured through the development of women’s volleyball: some good years, some great years, and some tough years.”

“We are working tirelessly to evolve this program into a top 50 team nationally that challenges yearly for the Big East championships and deep postseason NCAA tournament runs.”

Zidek says her coaching approach is to “develop the entire person through focusing on who players become through this championship chase.”

“We know we can’t always control the outcome of the game, but how much we prepare, give to our teammates, and evolve within ourselves through the process is where this program finds its true value and is the reason I’m here at DePaul.”