Nazareth girls volleyball coach Esai Velez was thrilled when he learned junior setter Lexi Van Eekeren had transferred to the school from Benet.
Velez didn’t know Van Eekeren personally, but her reputation preceded her.
“The Van Eekerens are a great family, so I was pretty excited to have one of them on my roster,” Velez said. “I was very happy to have that addition.
“When she transferred, I was like, ‘Great.’ She’s a great player. She can do a lot of things on the court, so I was excited for her personally and her background.”
That background includes Van Eekeren’s mother, Amy, a former All-American middle hitter at Illinois who coached the Naperville Central boys volleyball team to the 1998 state title and later started the Benet boys volleyball team, which went 32-1 record in its first season. Van Eekeren is the youngest of four siblings who have excelled in sports and attended Benet.
Her sister Ally is a former setter who led Benet to third place in Class 4A in 2018 and later played at Creighton, High Point and Penn State. Van Eekeren’s brother Jackson played on Hawaii’s 2021 national championship team, and her brother Tyler played basketball at Washington University. Van Eekeren’s cousin Taylor also played volleyball at Benet and continued her career at West Florida.
Van Eekeren, a Naperville resident, seemed destined to play volleyball, too, while attending her siblings’ matches. But that didn’t happen right away.
Her first sport was gymnastics. She competed for six years, reaching level 8 of the club level before a serious back injury forced her to stop.
“I did club basketball for a while and then school basketball and volleyball,” Van Eekeren said. “Those were the next two sports I had.
“But there was something about volleyball. I don’t know if it was just because it was in the family, but I truly found a passion and love for it.”
Just three years after playing volleyball for the first time, Van Eekeren was the starting setter on Benet’s junior varsity team as a sophomore. She probably would not have seen much playing time this season on Benet’s varsity team, which finished second in Class 4A with Northwestern-bound senior Ellie Stiernagle doing the setting.
Van Eekeren decided to transfer to Nazareth, although she said volleyball wasn’t the impetus.
“Volleyball wasn’t even a factor when it came to switching schools,” she said. “There were a lot of different reasons, but I’m not looking back anymore.”
Leaving Benet was a difficult decision for Van Eekeren, whose father, Alex, played basketball at Benet, and all of his siblings attended the school too.
“My parents and siblings are my biggest support system,” Van Eekeren said. “They always are. They wanted whatever I wanted, whatever makes me happy, and being at Nazareth makes me happy.”
The feeling is mutual, and not just because Van Eekeren helped the Roadrunners overcome a losing record in the regular season to make a stunning run to the Class 3A state championship match.
“She’s been great,” Nazareth senior middle hitter Grace Gravante said. “She’s a great setter, great on defense, blocking, hitting, all over.
“But also she’s being really positive. Coming in, she wanted to be friends with all of us right away. She was super comfortable around us. Now we’re the best of friends. She’s confident in her play, and she’s just an amazing person to have on the team.”
While Van Eekeren’s transition looks easy in hindsight, that wasn’t guaranteed, especially on the court. The Roadrunners had gone from winning three state trophies, including the 2021 state title, to going 3-31 in 2024.
“I didn’t know what the volleyball was going to be because obviously last season was very different compared to this season,” Van Eekeren said. “I only knew two people on the team coming in, but I was really excited to meet the team.
“I had heard nothing but great things about them, and all the great things turned out to be true. Everyone was welcoming.”
Indeed, the Roadrunners (21-19) quickly jelled into a cohesive group, if not a juggernaut team.
“We all feel like a family,” Gravante said. “We all just pick each other up like sisters.”
The Roadrunners, who had competed in 4A the past two seasons, were moved back down to 3A this season. They set their sights high.
“We knew we didn’t want this same season we had last year, and our goal this season was to go to state,” Van Eekeren said. “We weren’t expected to, but we all made it a goal for our seniors, and I think it was really special that we even made it down here, let alone to the championship.”
Indeed, the Roadrunners, who were seeded fourth in their sectional, pulled off a series of upsets to reach the state semifinals at CEFCU Arena in Normal.
Senior middle hitter Jane Manecke and senior outside hitter Beth Surowiec were the only Roadrunners to have previously played at CEFCU. They saw limited action as freshmen when Nazareth lost to St. Francis in the 2022 state championship match.
But Van Eekeren has actually won a state championship at CEFCU — in club gymnastics. She did her best to do the same with the Roadrunners, who stunned Providence 25-16, 25-17 in the state semifinals on Nov. 14.
Van Eekeren had 10 assists, eight digs and a kill against the Celtics, playing mostly setter.
But Velez moved Van Eekeren to right-side hitter in the state championship match against Normal U-High. She responded with a team-high five kills to go with eight digs and three assists, but the Pioneers won 25-20, 25-20.
“I started with her at setter, but then she brings a lot of power as a right-side,” Velez said. “I was always trying to figure out how to run a right-side, and she brings that, so that’s why she played there the whole time today.
“She was always a great fit. I’m very proud of her.”
Van Eekeren is proud of how she has adjusted at her new school and what the Roadrunners accomplished.
“I’m just so happy that I came to Naz,” she said. “No regrets at all. I love these girls so much, and I’m so thankful.”
Van Eekeren has one more season with the Roadrunners. After that, she wants to continue her family tradition.
“My goal is to go DI like the rest of my family, but I want to create my own path,” she said. “I want to play in college, and I want to have a great time. I’m not ready to be done with the sport.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
