Former Lyons star Madisen Babich determined to return Downers Grove South to successful roots

Madisen Babich knew since she was a kid that she wanted to make a career of volleyball.

Just ask Joann Pyritz.

Pyritz, Lyons Township’s legendary volleyball coach who retired in 2017 with 820 wins, likely can recall Babich as the sassy eight-year-old who would run up to her and say Pyritz couldn’t possibly retire until she coached Babich all four years.

And wanted Pyritz’s job when she was done.

“I would tell Coach P from eight years old that ‘I want your job when you retire.’ I definitely gave her a run for her money,” Babich said. “Volleyball was my first passion. I can say that with confidence.”

That self-described “little fireball” didn’t need long to start on her career path.

Babich, a four-year varsity starter and All-State libero at Lyons under Pyritz who went on to play collegiately at Cal State Fullerton, was hired in May as Downers Grove South’s new head volleyball coach.

Also hired as physical education and health teacher, it’s the first job for the 23-year-old Babich, who just graduated in May from Elmhurst University.

Babich joked that “I look like I’m 12″ and that parents are going to wonder “who is that student manager” when they walk in for the first parent meeting.

But she’s beyond her years in volleyball terms.

Babich got her first assistant coaching gig at Nazareth at 19 years old, and was the varsity assistant for the girls and boys varsity volleyball teams at Sandburg the last three years.

“Yes, I’m a young coach, but I have nothing but confidence being around the game,” Babich said. “Me being a young age, knowing how to carry myself at a professional level, these girls realize that I am relatable and they appreciate the knowledge and experiences I have and constantly being real with them. I was in their shoes not too long ago.”

Babich’s passion for the sport came from her mom, who played herself, and from watching her sister play club at First Alliance and Lyons.

Her knowledge of the game was fostered working with some of volleyball’s best coaches. Pyritz and Sandburg’s David Vales are mentors. So too is Denise Kavanaugh, who won three state titles at Downers Grove South, coached Babich in club at First Alliance and is now athletic director at Downers Grove North.

“Those two [Pyritz and Kavanaugh], they ran a quality huddle, they knew what to say in a timeout. They read the vibe and emotions and what we needed at the moment, whether it was a screaming session or calm and collected,” Babich said. “They knew how to be stern, but carry themselves with integrity. I’ll look to those people all the time, even when I’m 60 years old.”

It’s through Kavanaugh that Babich found out that a position would be open for coaching at Downers Grove South. She didn’t know at the time that a teaching position would come with it, but always kept up her pursuit trying to find her first job on the district page.

“PE and health came up, I applied for that, interviewed on Zoom first and was asked to come in. I think they fell in love with me. I did something right,” said Babich, who still lives in Willow Springs with her mom and sister.

Babich has hit the ground running.

The minute she got the call that the job was hers, she said she’d be at the school the next day “with bagels on me.” She did two weeks of skill camp and in June worked the camp at Jefferson Junior High School.

“I want to be noticed in the community,” she said, “to show I’m all in.”

She’s indeed all in, intent on changing the culture of the program and returning Downers Grove South to its successful roots.

“When I walk in that gym, knowing the names behind it, when you stand in our gym and look up at those banners you do realize that the tradition is here,” she said. “I don’t need to rebuild and establish the tradition. We just need to get back to it. This group needs to buy into my system and we have to make clear we’re holding them to a high standard.”

Babich, and her coaching staff, know a thing or two about tradition and high standards. Her assistant, Jocelynn Birks, led Lyons to the 2010 state title and was an All-American at Illinois.

“Her and I literally suit up and play, we’ll go up and play against the starting six,” Babich said. “They need to see that high competition and goes back to being relatable that my coach can actually do it. It’s motivated them to push themselves.”

Babich has designs on a winning first season and in a short time having Downers Grove South back to being a dominant program in the state. But it will take time for the group to buy in, and to mentally and physically prepare them for the toughest matches.

Warmups, Babich’s girls go directly into a full force suicide line, volleyball-style.

“Instead of touching the line they dive, hit the floor and jump right back up,” Babich said. “Literally, the first day they were like ‘Can I go get a bandaid?’ I told them come back tomorrow with tape on their hands. Because this is staying. You have to live and breath for the bruises.”