Before entering high school, Andrew’s Sean Gagen had a choice to make.
He loved baseball and volleyball and spent a lot of time with both travel and club teams. Maybe too much time. That’s why he eventually went with one sport — volleyball.
“I played baseball my whole life,” Gagen said. “It was a very hard decision. I was playing travel baseball and club volleyball at the same time. I had to miss things in each sport, and I knew I had to give one up and ultimately knew volleyball was my sport.”
“It was a big decision. But I haven’t looked back since.”
A lot of people around Andrew are pretty happy he chose to stick with volleyball.
The 6-foot-2 junior right-side hitter recorded 15 kills to help the surging Thunderbolts beat visiting Willowbrook 25-17, 32-30 in a nonconference match Wednesday night in Tinley Park.
Prestyn Krejczyk and Isaac Okewole each tallied five kills and Christien Scott-Nwosu added four blocks for Andrew (19-9), which has played 26 matches that have gone the two-game minimum.
Matt Ciesinski and Evan Case chalked up eight kills apiece for Willowbrook (7-17).
Gagen, who hits left-handed, started the season setting but moved to full-time hitting. The results have been sensational as he leads the team with 250 kills, well ahead of Okewole’s 126.
“He’s our star,” Krejczyk said of Gagen. “That last kill to end the match — that ball wasn’t going to anyone else but him.”
Krejczyk, a senior middle hitter, has had an interesting recruiting process. He was originally being recruited by Trinity Christian until the school announced it was closing after this academic year.
But Trinity Christian coach Tom Welsh was hired to start of the Joliet St. Francis program and invited Krejczyk to join the Saints.
“When he texted me to come to St. Francis, it was a no-brainer,” Krejczyk said.
Krejczyk and Gagen, meanwhile, are enjoying a season that started rough but has gotten better.
Andrew was sitting with a 4-8 record before erupting for an 11-match winning streak. After a 25-17, 25-23 SouthWest Suburban Conference loss to Lincoln-Way West, the Thunderbolts returned to their winning ways with four straight victories.
“Oh, man, it’s been crazy,” Gagen said. “When we were 4-8, it was a different lineup and I was still setting. But now I’m playing all the way around.
“We had a new lineup and we changed our mentality. We’ve been hardworking and have come together.”
Andrew is aiming to finish with its best record since a 22-14 showing in 2017. Since that time, the Thunderbolts had just one winning season and endured four years with 20 or more losses.
“We’ve been struggling the last couple of years,” Gagen said. “It’s been pretty sad. But this year, the bond between the boys had just been unreal.
“We all love each other and we’re around each other all of the time. It’s the best team I’ve ever been on.”
Gagen is hoping for a big finish for the Thunderbolts, who have seven matches left in the regular season. That includes showdowns with district rivals Sandburg and Stagg plus area powerhouses Lincoln-Way Central, Lincoln-Way East and Lockport.
“We have some tough teams ahead,” Gagen said. “But we’re ready, man. We’ve been practicing so hard and building our chemistry. We’re looking great and I’m so excited.”
Even when he was playing baseball, Gagen got interested in volleyball. His mom, Sandra Gagen, nee Barber, started coaching him. He said she played at Evergreen Park and taught him a lot.
“She would be peppering with me and teaching me how to pass,” Gagen said of his mother. “Ever since then, she has been my biggest supporter.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
