Princeton volleyball turns 50

Princeton High School fielded its first volleyball team in the fall of 1973, a year after the passing of Title IX.

They played all of their games in the South Gym, for years known as the “Girls Gym.”

The volleyball standard was held down by sandbags, the net sagged and the official stood on an actual ladder.

Their uniforms were shared by the girls basketball and track teams.

They played only seven games, the “A” team winning four, under the direction of coach Julie Nagle.

The next season, Rita Placek took over as head coach and got the program headed in a winning direction.

Over the years, the Tigresses have made four state tournament appearances, including the 1990 state championship, and won 11 sectionals, 19 regionals and four districts along with eight conference titles.

The program marks its 50th birthday this fall. There are 13 girls on the varsity, 12 on the sophomore team and 15 more at the freshmen level this season.

All because of the pioneer team in 1973.

Would girls sports ever happen?

Rita [Goble] Calvert was a freshman in the fall of 1973, a pioneer player on the first four varsity teams for PHS as setter. It was a moment she said some didn’t think would happen.

“There was some disbelief that after years of trying, that competitive sports for high school girls were going to become official school activities because of Title IX,” she said. “We were all pretty proud to be members of that very first varsity team.”

Calvert said local volleyball enthusiasts Bea and Gary Coates had the foresight to start having open gym in the girls gym Sunday afternoons to foster interest in volleyball. A mixed group of guys and gals helped everyone develop skills so that when the team started at PHS there were players ready to play, she said.

There were nine girls on the first team in 1973: Jorja Bogott, Joy Farrell, Goble, Deanna Howarter, Dina Lackey, Theresa Romagnoli, Gail Schleuger, Joan Velon and Susan Zimmerman.

Placek, who did not get to play IHSA sports at neighboring LaMoillle High School, came to PHS fresh out of the University of Illinois as a PE teacher, expecting to be a cheerleading sponsor and wound up coaching volleyball, basketball and track.

“When I was in college, we knew Title IX had passed, but I guess we thought just how it affected the college level. I don’t think many of my colleagues, including myself, even pictured ourselves as coaching,” she said.

While the new era of sports was welcomed by the girls, it was not necessarily by all at the schools.

“I think the girls were very excited with the opportunity they had to play instead of being on the sidelines. For the ADs and principals, I think they were a little more hesitant,” Placek said. “They had signed on for a job to do all the boys sports and all of a sudden, they’ve got to do the girls sports. It was, ‘Here you go.’ They had no say in the matter.”

Placek said most of the players were not well skilled in the early years coming in with loose junior high guidelines for bumping and setting.

“We had to start from square one, teaching them skills how they were being played today,” she said. “The majority of girls did an underhand serve at the beginning. After we learned the skills, we had to work on conditioning and built up the strength.”

Placek started a winning tradition in a few short seasons.

The Tigresses won their first district championship in 1976 and their first sectional title in 1979, the first of four straight, laying the foundation for future success.

“We just kept making steady progress. 1979 was probably the turning point. We had won sectionals and lost to Lexington. That ’79 team was really good,” said Placek, noting the many clinics she attended helped her develop as a coach.

The 1979 season also was the first year PHS volleyball got to play in Prouty Gym.

A year later, the Tigresses reached the state tournament for the first time, falling to Elmhurst IC Catholic (15-11, 15-7) in the Class A quarterfinals.

In 1982, PHS won its first 22 matches of the season, claiming NCIC, regional and sectional championships, before falling to Hartsburg-Emden at a supersectional.

The Tigresses won another string of sectionals from 1987-89 but couldn’t quite get over the hump, falling in supersectional play each time to nemesis Manteno.

Placek said their postseason road never was easy, especially getting past neighbor Tiskilwa, which “was always such a tough team. We always had our hands full.”

PHS finally had a breakthrough at the supersectional in 1990, defeating Coal City at Wenona to make it back to state. This time they won it all, defeating Huntley (15-12, 16-14) for the Class A State championship, which remains today as the only state team title in school history.

Playing in the old NCIC, which was comprised in half by Class 2A schools, toughened up her PHS teams as well as playing other area bigger schools like Moline and those in tournaments, said Placek.

Placek retired after the 1998 season with a 495-178-14 record. She contemplated retiring a few seasons earlier but elected to round it off at 25 years.

“It was a wonderful experience. A lot of great memories,” she said.

A new era

Julie Sherbeyn had big shoes to fill when she took over for Placek in 1999. She coached for two seasons at PHS and later went on to become head coach at IVCC.

PHS alum Courtney Sapp, a member of the Tigresses’ 1994 state team, coached the 2001 season.

Then enter Andy Puck, who came over from rival Hall to take over as the PHS coach in 2002, winning a regional in his first season. He currently is in his 21st season.

“This goes way before me. I was born in 1974. This first team was a year older than me being on this earth,” he said. “It makes you think. I realize how long I’ve been here, first of all. Me being only the fifth coach in 50 years is crazy.

“I really lucked out. I didn’t necessarily follow right behind [Placek]. Nobody really wants to follow a legend like her and be in her footsteps. The groundwork was laid. That’s all there is to it. It was a volleyball school and it’s continued to be, which is wonderful.”

Puck and his wife, Gina, with the help of school librarian Nachelle Norman, put together a banner on display at Prouty Gym with a collage of all 50 team photos from the school yearbooks.

“You look at all those pictures, it’s fun to reminiscence whether they were mine or not. I can remember exactly where I was at when we won this tournament,” he said, pointing to one team photo. “I was just explaining to some girls that Mrs. [Josie] Dober is in here, our current math teacher. She was No. 12 right there. I can go through each pictures and the ton of memories flood back. A lot of personalities of each individual player and just relationships we’ve had over the years.”

Puck’s teams have won eight regionals and two sectionals.

Using the catch phrase of “State in ‘08,” the Tigresses made it back to state in 2008 after 14 years, placing fourth. That season was not without its bumps in the road.

“Where do you begin there?” Puck said. “We had 12 losses that year. We lost two conference matches going into the postseason, and I changed some of our mottos here and the next thing you know we’re going down to Bloomington. We had the ride of the century.”

For the Princeton volleyball program, it’s been the ride of the half century.