One team stood out to Woodstock North’s Kylie Schulze when she attended the Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Championship at Illinois State University’s Redbird Arena in April.
“Loyola really caught my eye,” Schulze said. “The girls on the sideline were flying all over and making these crazy cheers like no one else in the gym. They were so supportive of each other.
“The whole Missouri Valley is super competitive. Watching them compete at the top of the conference was something that was really important to me, too. It became my dream school from that day on.”
Schulze, a junior setter, had an official visit to the Chicago school Saturday and committed to the NCAA Division I Ramblers that day. She met with coaches, took a tour and saw the team’s first exhibition match. Schulze even was welcomed into the locker room by the team and took part in the pre-match rituals and cheers.
“Before every game, they do a chest bump,” Schulze said. “They let me do a chest bump with one of the players, the libero, so that was pretty cool. I got to make connections with some of the girls.”
Schulze also had offers from Western Michigan and D-II West Florida and was talking to Ball State and St. Louis. Schulze wanted to stay closer to home and felt the competition of the MVC represented the perfect fit.
“I wasn’t just thinking [Division I]. I was just thinking, ‘Find a place I love,’ ” Schulze said. “[Loyola] is somewhere that checked off all my boxes. I wasn’t in a rush to commit, but once they offered, I knew it was everything I wanted, so I had no hesitation in saying yes.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to play in the NCAA Tournament, and the [MVC] has an opportunity to put a team or two in the tournament every year. They are just a great program, so it was just an automatic yes from me. The culture really sets them apart.”
Loyola, a No. 6 seed in the tournament, finished 11-9 in the spring and advanced to the MVC final before losing to top-seeded Illinois State in four sets. The Ramblers were picked to finish third in the MVC preseason poll, released in the past week.
Loyola has recorded three straight winning seasons under head coach Amanda Berkley for the first time since doing it eight straight years from 1997 through 2004. Schulze said she felt a strong connection with all of the Ramblers’ coaches.
Berkley was the first coach Schulze had a phone conversation with after the NCAA dead period was lifted on June 15. Schulze also got to know assistant coach Sondra Parys, a 2009 Prairie Ridge graduate, at college exposure camps.
“Just walking around campus, it’s gorgeous there,” said Schulze, who plans to major in business. “It sits right on the lakefront. I was able to find my way around it pretty quickly. It’s definitely smaller, but that’s kind of the vibe I like. I think the [MVC] was a conference I could really see myself playing in. It’s going to take a lot of hard work.”
Schulze earned Northwest Herald All-Area first-team honors in the COVID-19-shortened spring season and helped lead the Thunder to their first conference championship in program history. North went 10-0 in KRC play, with Schulze recording 191 assists and 28 aces in 10 matches. She was second on the team in service points (75) and digs (82).
The Thunder bring back their entire starting lineup from the spring and go into the year as favorites to repeat. Schulze is the reigning KRC Player of the Year, while North graduated only one and returns all-conference members in Alyssa Wickersheim, Avery Crabill, Kaitlyn Wickersheim and Faith Eddy.
Schulze, who is closing in on 1,000 career assists and the team record, said she is excited for a more normal season. There was no IHSA state series in the spring because of the pandemic.
“I’m just super excited and thrilled to be playing with these girls again,” Schulze said. “We’re getting back to somewhat normal things. Winning conference was awesome. Those last three matches, we didn’t have our starting libero and starting DS because of quarantine. I think the resiliency factor of being able to compete at a high level is something that will carry into this year.”
Schulze has played volleyball since sixth grade and started to focus on the sport exclusively around the eighth grade. Her dad, Eric Schulze, coaches varsity at North and also coaches Kylie at her club, VC United, which he started in 2017. Kylie’s younger sister, Devynn, a freshman, is set to join the high school team this year.
“He’s a great coach to have, especially in the high school season,” Kylie Schulze said. “Having someone to constantly push me is important to have. It’s really awesome to have competitive coaches at both club and high school. I think that’s helped me a lot.
“We have eight seniors this year, and we’re just ready to make the best out of the season.”
Schulze also thanked her recruiting director at VC United, Lauren Hansen, for helping throughout the recruiting process.