2024 Kane County Chronicle girls volleyball Athlete of the Year: St. Charles North’s Haley Burgdorf

ST. CHARLES — There was no surprise that the expectations for St. Charles North junior Haley Burgdorf would be high for her third high school season.

After leading the North Stars in kills in each of her first two seasons, as well as emerging as a leader on the team in her sophomore year after a plethora of injuries to seniors on the roster, all eyes were on Burgdorf to see how she could perform as a leader among a relatively new squad.

But even with those high expectations, the Penn State commit still managed to surpass them all, and even managed to surprise North Stars coach Lindsey Hawkins in the process.

“She was always good, but when she came out and just started dominating from the first game it was like ‘Who is this kid and what did she do in the offseason?’ ” Hawkins said. “She wanted it so bad, and she showed that very early on that she had put in so much work and really sacrificed a lot as a player.”

The junior ended up finishing her season with 611 kills on a 50.7% kill percentage, while also adding 268 digs, 48 service aces and 44 total blocks. Along with that, she surpassed the 1,000-career kill mark, earned All-State honors and helped the North Stars reach a sectional final for the first time since 2017.

Considering all the accolades, Burgdorf has been named the 2024 Kane County Chronicle Volleyball Player of the Year.

“It was a really good junior season,” Burgdorf said. “There were a lot of ups and downs during the season, but in the end, we did really good and we were all there for each other. And even though we didn’t reach all of our goals, a lot of good things happened for us.”

Burgdorf’s presence at the net was noticeable in nearly every game that she played. The junior, who averaged 6.9 kills per set, finished the season recording more matches where she recorded 20+ kills (8) than matches with single-digit kills (3).

It was that type of play that also allowed for other girls on the team to thrive as well, especially junior setter Mia McCall, who finished with 816 assists on the season, and outside hitter Amber Czerniak, who collected 196 kills on the season.

“Even when I was in a rut, other people would start playing better and it would get me out of the rut,” Burgdorf said. “And if I was playing well, it would open up a lot of opportunities for Amber on an open net or Mia with a center dump. It created a lot of opportunities for us and our ability to play together was really good this year.”

Besides Burgdorf’s elite offensive ability, Hawkins also felt her ability to excel at defense and at the service line were also a key contributors in multiple matches, especially against teams like Benet, which was runner-up in the Class 4A state tournament.

“The fact that we were able to hold Division I recruits to season-low numbers, that’s all attributed Haley and the level of focus that she brings not just to her offense, but her defense as well,” Hawkins said. “Defense became a huge focal point for us this season, and that was mostly attributed to her, and everyone else kind of hopped on board with trying to have that same mentality.”

Another change the Penn State commit had to endure throughout the season was a change in leadership style. While Burgdorf has always been a leader by example with her play on the court, she had to adapt to a more vocal leadership role this season as the most experienced player on the roster.

But much like her play on the court, Hawkins said Burgdorf managed to adapt to the role very quickly, especially with the help of her fellow juniors.

“I think I took the leadership role a lot more serious this season, and the juniors also took in that role of helping the underclassmen,” Burgdorf said. “The seniors from last year helped a lot by being supportive during our games, and I think that just helped me keep an open mind while playing and supporting the girls on every play.”

Despite falling short of winning the state title, Burgdorf is confident the North Stars, who are returning all but one starter next season, can carry over the grit and resilience the team had this season to hopefully make a title run, while also picking up some more accolades, in her final high school season.

“I just want the girls coming in to know what our culture is like and what we have established from the very beginning,” Burgdorf said. “Hopefully we can win state and I can reach those milestones like 2,000 kills and hopefully Gatorade Player of the Year.”

And it’s that kind of mindset that she and the rest of the team holds that has Hawkins more than excited to see what Burgdorf and the North Stars have in store for 2025.

“It just gives me goosebumps,” Hawkins said. “The team just all jumped on board, and they thoroughly believe that they can make a huge run next year. And they just keep talking about it, even through the club season.

“It makes me feel really good as a coach that the culture that we’ve created together is one that everyone is buying into. And with Haley leading that, we’re very excited about next year.”