Girls Volleyball notes: Newark honors long-time coach Tonya Grayson in pre-match recognition

Newark volleyball, well on its way to another successful season, took a moment Tuesday to honor the architect of the program’s greatest successes.

Prior to Tuesday night’s match with Seneca, Newark took a few minutes to honor and recognize the career of long-time coach Tonya Grayson.

Grayson stepped down at the end of last season, her 21st at Newark. Over that time Grayson won 555 matches with 12 regional championships, five sectional titles, three state appearances and back-to-back Class 1A state titles in 2018 and 2019.

“A good night, and a fun night,” said Newark coach PJ McKinney, an assistant under Grayson before taking on the head coaching position earlier this year. “Tonya is the most successful coach in Newark history, regardless of the sport. She appreciated it and didn’t know it was coming.”

Coaches and a few seniors presented Grayson with gifts, with a large crowd including family and friends of Grayson’s.

“It was a special night – she deserves all the credit she gets,” McKinney said.

McKinney came on as an assistant at Newark in 2009.

“She treated me as an assistant head coach, really took a lot of feedback from the other assistants,” McKinney said. “I think she had a feeling and a goal that one of us would take over when she was done. She had a great 21 years. I’ve seen the success she had, not only on the court but she cares about people and what they do off the court.”

Newark right on time with 10-0 start

Newark’s season-opening match at Moline was one to remember, even if the girls lost a few hours of sleep in the process.

With the lower-level matches at Moline all going three sets, McKinney said it was 8:40 p.m. at first serve of the varsity match. The Norsemen proceeded to beat Class 4A Moline in three sets, and arrived back in town after a long bus ride around midnight.

“Beating Moline was huge,” McKinney said. “We just hung with them, played great defense, attacked wen we could and we ended up squeaking one out. I’m not sure I was surprised, but it was rewarding to get that win.”

The Norsemen are now 10-0 after winning the Manteno tournament title over the weekend, and beating Seneca in two sets Tuesday. Leading the way is junior setter Lauren Ulrich, who is now setting back row and hitting out of the front row.

“She’s probably the best setter in the area. When you take her off that role you are kind of hesitant, but we needed to fill another position,” McKinney said. “We toyed with the idea of her hitting outside, she rolled with it and we designed a plan for her to hit front row and set back. She is a great leader, is smart and knows the game.”

Yorkville’s Suddeth has block party

Yorkville senior Carly Suddeth put up block numbers in a recent match with Plainfield South that sound good for a kill stat, and are borderline unbelievable for blocks.

In a 24-26, 25-22, 25-23 loss to Plainfield South, Suddeth broke a school single-match record with 10 blocks. The previous program record, from 2006, was eight blocks. Suddeth’s play at the net was instrumental in the Foxes rallying from down 16-6 in the first set of an eventual three-set loss.

“My first thought was we owed Carly a big thank you for helping us get back in the first set and refocus,” Yorkville coach Lisa Molek said. “Her play at the end of the first set was amazing. She set a good precedent with some game-changing blocks and also had some kills. She is a quieter kid by nature, so for her to put the team on the back is big for her.”

The Foxes later that week took fifth at the Joliet Central Tournament to move their record to 8-5.

“We have our ups and our downs,” Molek said. “We’re trying to work through some inconsistency and just find that middle ground. I’m hopeful that we will continue to have high expectations during the season and meet them. I’m also trying to remind myself that yes, it’s important to win, but so too is the growth.”

‘Sky’s the limit’ for Oswego sophomore

Oswego coach Julie Zeck will gladly take a 6-1 start to the season with a young group.

The best may be yet to come.

That is very likely the case with Sidney Hamaker. The 6-foot-2 Oswego sophomore is the go-to hitter for her setters on the front row, is being used for back-row attacks and is passing very well playing out of the back row.

“I think the sky is the limit for this girl,” Zeck said.

Hamaker was a soaring presence in Oswego’s 25-15, 23-25, 25-21 win over Waubonsie Valley on Tuesday. Hamaker had 15 kills in 29 attempts, and at the service line had 10 serves with two aces and just one error.

“When the other team was starting to set blocks for her, she was smart enough to figure out how to go over and around them, using different shots to get the numbers she got last night,” Zeck said. “You don’t see that maturity a lot in younger players.”

Zeck has seen Hamaker growth in adjusting better to the sets she is given.

“Last year, again, it was her age, if that ball wasn’t a specific shot, she didn’t have as much success,” Zeck said. “This year she is learning to adjust to make different shots off a ball that she wouldn’t have been able to get last year.”

Zeck also noted the play against Waubonsie of senior Grace Tartol, who had 19 serves, two aces and zero service errors, and senior middle Kennedy Hugunin, who had six blocks, two kills and zero errors in 10 serves.

“Grace Tartol was amazing,” Zeck said. “In the first set she clinched it for us. Typically you don’t start a set with the libero serving. We went right back to her and she continued her serving streak. She was hitting every zone, her short serves were amazing. She really came through for us.

“Kennedy has been huge in all seven of our matches. She might not have the kill percentage that outsides do but her blocks have been amazing and she is also serving really well. Even last night, I was like ‘Do you want to serve,’ and ‘can you play back row,’ and she was like ‘I got you.’ She is a huge role model for these younger players, showing them the ropes.”