Before the volleyball season began, Glenbrook South outside hitter Sarah Wojick set a goal of reaching 100 kills in her senior year.
Wojick should refrain from making predictions. She had 293 kills for the Titans this season.
“I guess that was pretty stupid of me,” Wojick said. “Apparently, my estimates are really off.”
Wojick, who has verbally committed to Miami (Ohio), spent her third varsity season leading Glenbrook South to a share of the Central Suburban South title. She also finished with 46 blocks, 143 digs and 316 serves received.
Those numbers define a great individual season but for first-year coach Kelly Dorn, numbers don’t reveal Wojick’s real value.
“In my opinion, she’s the player of the year in our area,” Dorn said. “But while some big-time players are more introverted and focused on themselves and what they need to do, Sarah is not only our best player, she’s also a great team player. She’s a true captain.”
Wojick believes it’s important to show enthusiasm while playing the sport she loves.
“When one person starts the flame, it leads to other people having that passion to win and go far,” Wojick said. “You have to be excited and talk a lot. I tried to show the younger girls that talking helps the team, so they can pick that up for next year.”
Wojick’s all-around physical abilities are obvious, starting with her power at the net.
“She unleashes on a ball,” Dorn said. “She tears the leather off of it.
“She jumps really well and she hits with her whole body and not just her swinging arm. She’s got great court vision, too, and she has multiple shots in her bag.”
Wojick also shined in the back row, with a season attack percentage over .500 and a role as a main serve-receive passer and defender.
It was Wojick’s power game that shined against New Trier on Sept. 21. In a CSL South game on the Trevians’ home floor, Wojick had 17 kills and a .364 hitting percentage in a three-set win for the Titans (26-9, 8-2).
New Trier has set a standard for volleyball excellence in the conference, and the Titans’ win over the Trevians is a memory Wojick will keep.
“It was unbelievable,” she said. “I’ll never forget that game and how much fun we had, and having as many fans as we had show up there. It was a really cool moment and experience to beat them at their place.”
The third-seeded Titans’ season ended with a 25-18, 20-25, 25-15 loss to sixth-seeded Prospect in the Class 4A Hoffman Estates Regional final on Oct. 27. The Knights blocked extremely well throughout the match.
“Prospect played a really good game and I’ll give them credit for that,” Wojick said. “But that loss doesn’t take away from the season we had.
“Our record says it all. Last year we weren’t nearly as good, but we had good wins against New Trier, Loyola and Stevenson this year. Our younger players stepped up and filled positions a lot better than we thought they would.”
Next year, those young players will be without Wojick, fellow captain Julia Rytel, and four other key seniors, but Wojick said that she believes the program can remain strong in Dorn’s second year as the helm.
Dorn just hopes that Wojick rubbed off on her younger players.
“It’s hard to replace her physically on the court, but I hope her love of the game stays with our players next year,” Dorn said. “She has that emotion and fire for volleyball.
“I can’t say enough good things about her. She’s the glue that held the team together.”
Gary Larsen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press
