New faces yielded happy results for volleyball in 2016

With so many new faces from coaching staff to all but two players, the Cyclones faced the unknown this season. From that, they built a successful run into region playoffs.

Where the Cyclones really shined was in Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference play, which saw a 6-1 record and second place finish. Their lone loss was to nationally-ranked McHenry County College in four close sets. Even in their few losses, the Cyclones maintained tight scores right through the NJCAA Region IV semi-finals, where they ended the season. Overall the team went 15-6 thanks to a talented squad and its’ leaders.

Lauren Lorenz joined the staff as head coach of the Cyclones this fall. She along with new assistant Coach Carly Trinley, a Cyclone alumna, came into the season anticipating a strong defensive squad from a versatile group of players. That flexibility allowed the coaches to adjust the team offense to better compete with opponents.

Efforts from freshmen Jessica Gavras (Oak Lawn), Chrystal Suich (Andrew) and sophomore Kourtney Chase (Eisenhower) were impactful. Freshmen setters Kazune Hinomoto (Japan) and Kirsten Chase (Eisenhower) progressed throughout the season and set the offensive pace. With the setters' consistency, they were able to build successful connections with each of the hitters. While the hitters demonstrated their dexterity in the front row by helping the team in different positions, sophomores Kaitlyn "Kam" Myles (Queen of Peace) and Jovana Koldzic (Serbia) brought consistency and strength at the net. Freshmen outside hitters Kelly Lind (Richards) and Heather Fane (Stagg) grew this season and helped the team on offense and defense.

For this good work, Hinomoto earned nods to the All-Region first, All-Region tournament and All-Conference first teams. Gavras was named to the All-Region second and All-Conference first teams. Myles earned All-Region tournament and All-Conference second team honors while Koldzic made the All-Conference second team.

“I am very impressed with how we finished this season. Being an extremely young team with a new coaching staff definitely created some obstacles for us, but the players stepped up and overcame a lot which is clearly reflected in our record and conference finish,” Lorenz said.

Lone sophomores and captains Myles and Kortney Chase set the example for the 10 incoming freshmen. With recruiting efforts underway and many anticipated returning players, the future of Cyclone volleyball looks bright.

“We have a solid base to build off of next year, and I'm hoping to continue to see improvements,” Lorenz said. “The freshmen are committed to working hard during the off season. Their discipline will greatly benefit them when we are back on the court. I have high hopes for all of the returning players and am very excited to see what next season will bring.