High flyers and hard hitters grab much of the attention in volleyball, but great players come in all sizes.
There’s plenty of room for someone like Kaneland’s Mia Vassallo.
Asked about her 5-foot-2 senior libero, Knights coach Cynthia Violett channeled her inner Mark Twain, who is credited with saying, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
Vassallo had just played a key role Tuesday night in leading Kaneland to a 26-24, 25-12 Interstate Eight Conference win over visiting Morris in Maple Park.
It came fast on the heels of her making the all-tournament team last weekend as the Knights posted a runner-up finish at the Glenbard West Tournament.
“She’s a little spitfire,” Violett said of Vassallo. “She’s like a chihuahua. She brings energy. She’s a communicator. She’s a stopper.”
Vassallo, last season’s Interstate Eight MVP, had 14 digs, four assists and three aces for Kaneland (11-6, 2-1) against Morris (11-6, 0-4). She added 11 serve receives with one error.
Plus, Vassallo’s nine-point service run extended a 13-9 lead to 22-9, essentially clinching the win.
“The libero typically runs the defense,” Violett said of Vassallo. “But she runs everything.”
Vassallo reminds the coach of older sister Julianna, who played the position for the Knights with the same abandon and last fall completed her career at Millikin. Mia recently committed to play at Wisconsin-Whitewater.
This was a match where the Knights needed an energy boost as they slogged through a back-and-forth first game. Neither team led by more than three points, with eight ties.
Senior outside hitter Rosie Karl, who also was all-tournament last weekend, put the hammer to the nail.
“There were a lot of unforced errors and we kind of beat ourselves,” Karl said.
The 5-10 Karl came on strong in the second game, however, pounding down 10 of her match-high 14 kills.
“We just couldn’t hit the ball in the court that first set,” Violett said.
Setters Danielle McCue and Abigail Carter continued to spread the ball around, however, and shots began to fall in. McCue, a senior, finished with 18 assists and Carter, a sophomore, had eight.
Morgan Beam and Delaney Calabrese each contributed three kills and Sophie Knazur and Adalynn Ruh added two apiece.
“They do a great job of mixing the ball around and that helps our offense a lot,” said Karl, who committed in August to Aurora University. “It gets the blockers thrown off a bit.”
The Knights, who are in Class 3A, don’t have great size beyond middles Knazur and Beam, who are 6-0 and 5-11, respectively. But they continue to measure up.
Tuesday’s match was only their third 3A opponent this season. The rest have been against 4A schools, which they will see again this weekend in the tournament they host that includes Neuqua Valley, Batavia, Yorkville and Downers Grove North.
That’s by design from Violett, whose teams have reached the sectional five of six times the playoffs have been held since she returned in 2016 for her second stint at the school.
Last season, Kaneland lost to Wheaton St. Francis in the sectional final, the third time in that span the Knights have lost to the eventual 3A state champion.
“I just didn’t think we were ready, and I wanted to make sure they are,” Violett said of a demanding schedule, which has included two meetings with Glenbard West and powerhouse Benet. “They jell well, but it’s their consistency they struggle with at times.”
Wherever they go, though, look for Vassallo to be in the middle of the action.
“Our expectations are the same,” she said. “People may look past us being a smaller school, but surprising them in a tournament boosts our confidence and makes us stronger.
“I think the libero needs to own the court and bring energy. That, and communicate. I can do that. I’m very loud.”
