Waubonsie Valley libero Tyler Vasquez doesn’t mind being the youngest and shortest player on his team.
The 5-foot-5 sophomore knows the former will eventually change. He hopes the latter will too.
“My dad said he grew his junior year,” Vasquez said. “He was my height and then he grew to like 5-11.”
Vasquez, meanwhile, is busy taking his game to new heights. The varsity rookie has made a big impression already.
He had nine service points and five digs Monday to help the host Warriors knock off Marmion 25-15, 25-20 in a nonconference match.
Junior outside hitter Colin Bishop was asked his opinion of teammate Vasquez.
“He’s all right,” Bishop quipped. “No, he’s good.”
Marmion (1-5) found out how good in Game 1. The Cadets used a 10-3 run to pull within 15-14 when a serving error gave the ball to Waubonsie.
Vasquez proceeded to serve eight straight points, including back-to-back aces. He was ruthless in his approach and efficiency.
“Once I started my run, I saw they were getting frustrated,” Vasquez said. “I started picking on two people that were kind of arguing with each other and decided to make the most of it.”
Vazquez also excelled on defense and even setting. He had two assists during an opening 12-3 burst in Game 2.
“Tyler’s skill set is super well-refined,” Bishop said. “He’s a super, low-error player.
“He plays hustle defense and his serve receive is really good. He does everything we need him to do and more.”
That proved troublesome for Marmion, which mustered only two kills in Game 1 and finished with eight, five coming from 6-7 middle Kyle Wydra.
“This is probably the tallest team we’ve had but we’re not jelling just yet,” said Marmion coach Barb Ebert, who was missing several players due to illness. “Hopefully, we’ll pull it together.”
Waubonsie (3-3) played without one of its setters, Rishi Menon, but didn’t miss a beat. Michael Lu led with seven kills, while Bishop added six and Max Hubenko added five kills and three blocks.
Those three really got going when Vasquez was at the service line.
“Those kind of runs goes to show the consistency he brings to our team,” Bishop said. “When we need to cut down on hitting errors and reset, he’s the guy we look toward.
“When he goes on runs like that, it’s really important.”
Yet Vasquez wasn’t overly impressed with his own play.
“Honestly, I feel like I could have done better,” Vasquez said. “I didn’t have enough energy on the court. I could have had more.”
Waubonsie coach Noel Soto loves that attitude, which has been present ever since Vasquez had 29 digs in a three-game loss to Oswego in the season opener.
“Oswego has a great outside (Ben Rosenow) and Tyler was digging every ball,” Soto said. “After the match I told Tyler, ‘Do you know how mad No. 12 is at you? You probably took about 8-9 kills away from him.’
“He’s a special kid for a sophomore. If we didn’t have two outstanding liberos last year, he would have been up as a freshman.”
Six games into his varsity career, Vasquez is projected for greatness.
“This kid is probably going to go down as one of if not the best liberos we’ve ever had in this program,” Soto said. “Some of the things he does in practices and matches makes you go, ‘Whoa.’
“If he gets a (growth) spurt, he’s going to go some place.”
Whether or not the spurt comes, Vasquez has found his niche.
“I like playing with a lot of very skilled people and I’m always with taller players, so it’s just great fun,” Vasquez said. “Being short doesn’t really affect me anymore.
“I’ve solidified my spot on the team and the seniors and I get along great. We’re all best friends.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
