Lockport Girls Volleyball: The 2023-2024 Season

I was excited to converse with Lockport senior volleyball players Lainey Green, Kylee Schurig, and Hailey Rak in the cafeteria on September 6th. Anticipation flowed off them and into the space where we held our conversation; they were about to play against Romeoville. The girls graciously allowed me to talk to them before their warmups; their restless movements, getting their legs and muscles ready for the game, met my calm demeanor. After a few jokes about how many floor burns they have gained from diving on the court, we started to talk about their season. Their current record stands proudly at 11-4, with their last game being against Andrew High School.

The first to speak about their season was Lainey Green. Green, a setter, complimented her teammates' efforts in and out of games. "We are really working hard at practice. Everyone wants to get better," she explained.

Kylee Schurig, an outside hitter, gave a shout-out to the players' knowledge. "We have a lot of seniors that have a lot of experience on the court so that definitely helps a bit." More specifically, she talked about how they play together on the court; Schurig said, "Our court movement is great." She joked about their loud volume as a team during games and gained a lot of laughs in our conversation, but that only proves how much the game matters to these players.

A middle hitter, Hailey Rak, highlighted the team's chemistry on the court. "It is a big thing. That helps us motivate each other on the court. Our level of play has shocked a lot of us, too. A lot of us have not played together, but the level of play that we have proven we can do is great for the start of the season."

All of the girls have team chemistry off the court, too. Green told me they have team dinners. "We are always together," she said.

The tone of the conversation then shifted; I asked about last season and if any moments in particular stood out to them in a negative way. All the girls looked at each other as if they knew what they would tell me. They mentioned last season's regional match against Joliet West.

"Our regional championship loss was our biggest downfall," Rak explained. "On top of that, we won the first set and had that under our belt. We let loose a little bit, and that took a toll on us the entire game."

Green agreed that the outcome against Joliet West differed from what they anticipated. "I didn't play my best game either," she said. "We had high hopes, but that got brought down immediately when we lost."

Schurig agreed with her teammates, adding, "We were all just looking forward to playing at sectionals. We forgot about the regional championships. There were a lot of things that we needed to do better and improve." Despite the devastating defeat to the team, it did not keep them down for long. Schurig added, "That loss definitely has pushed us, the seniors especially, because we do not want that to happen again."

The team clearly learned some lessons from that game, and now they look ahead into this season. These three players are seniors, so they want to leave an imprint on the Lockport volleyball program.

Green told me, "I want people to remember me as Lainey Green, the setter that is going to get over one thousand assists in their high school career." Green is going on to play Division I volleyball for Northern Kentucky University.

"I want to be known as a hard worker," explained Schurig. "I want to be known as someone who improved the team, the atmosphere, and someone who worked their butt off in practice every single day."

Rak wants her legacy to be her "positive energy on the court, along with the energy I brought on the court. I think that is very important." Rak has committed to play Division III volleyball at Illinois Wesleyan next year.

After exchanging thanks, the girls left to play their game against Romeoville. As they headed to warmups, they proudly walked off towards the court wearing their Lockport jerseys. "The big thing we want attached to our names is Lockport," Rak said.

They won the game with a score of 2-0.