Grayslake Central’s Basierak raises the bar at Dubuque

The all-time kills leader for Grayslake Central is now leading her college team in kills.

Kayla Basierak, who finished her career with 801 kills and helped lead the Rams to their first back-to-back 20-win seasons in 2010 and 2011, is now a sophomore for the University of Dubuque.

She has been named first-team All-Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in women’s volleyball for the second straight year.

The Spartans’ outside hitter finished the season with a team-high 366 kills, 1,234 attack attempts, 367 points, and 14 double-doubles (kills-digs).

Her 25 kills in the regular season finale win at Simpson are tied for the highest single match kill total in the IIAC this season.

Basierak also set a school record in the Simpson match with 80 total attacks. She currently has three of the top 12 single game kill totals in the Iowa Conference.

During the 2013 season Basierak was named all-tournament at Beloit’s Buc Blast and Millikin’s Slagell “Dig for a Cure” Classic.

She finished the year second in the conference with 95 kills in IIAC only games and second overall with 366 kills. Nationally, she ranks 84th in NCAA Division III with 3.45 kills per set.

Basierak was also recently named Capital One/CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District for her accomplishments in the classroom and on the court.

Ÿ Former Lake Zurich girls volleyball standout Layne Self wasted no time in making her mark in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

The Rhode Island freshman was selected to the league’s honorable mention list and also earned All-Rookie Team honors.

She was a two-time A-10 Defensive Player of the Week this season, finishing fifth in the conference with 1.28 blocks per set and 137 overall. She also ranked seventh in the league with a .321 hitting percentage.

The Hawthorn Woods native recorded the most blocks in a single season at URI since 1998 and the second-most ever by a Rhode Island freshman. She already ranks 27th all-time at URI in blocks.

Baseball

After Benedictine University center fielder Tim Hendricks (Carmel) was honored as the NACC’s Position Player of the Year and Division III second team all-American last spring, he hardly missed a beat in the summer.

Playing his second straight summer for the North Shore Navigators of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, he earned the team’s Most Valuable Player Award after hitting .354 with 1 home run, 28 RBI and 15 stolen bases.

“It was a great honor to be selected as Team MVP,” said Hendricks in a story on the Benedictine website. “I worked very hard this summer at improving my game, and I believe that I improved my skills greatly.”

Benedictine’s John Ostrowski and North Shore manager Jon Cahill recognize the hard work that Hendricks has put in.

“Tim was a proven leader on this team with his ability to maintain consistency throughout the season while investing his time to help others improve,” said Cahill, whose Navigators finished with a 26-25 record. “He led by example every single day. We would not have had the success we did had it not been for Tim’s talent, effort, and sacrifice.”

“His work ethic is unbelievable,” Ostrowski said of Hendricks. “He came in as a freshman about 20 pounds lighter than where he is at right now, and he has worked to make himself a stronger, better conditioned athlete. When you take his skill level and increase an individual’s strength and conditioning, he’s going to be able to compete at top levels. He’s paid the price and he’s made the investment to help him be the best player he can be, and it shows by the summer he had.”

All in all, Hendricks knows the benefits of playing in the FCBL and believes that his success can carry over into the 2014 Benedictine season.

“I had a great experience this summer,” Hendricks said. “I played for a great organization in the North Shore Navigators and they helped me feel at home. I know that I worked hard at bettering my skills, and I know that I improved. It was a great experience for me.”

Women’s basketball

Augustana freshman point guard Olivia Mayer (Libertyville) has handed out a team-high 18 assists and averages 7.5 points and 4.5 rebounds for the Vikings (2-2).

Men’s basketball

Augustana sophomore Brandon Motzel (Carmel) of Buffalo Grove shared team rebounding honors when he grabbed 5 boards to help lead the No. 24-ranked Vikings (4-1) to 33-22 advantage on the glass in a 88-50 win over Knox.

Rugby

Sign-up day for the Arlington Stallions Rugby Club’s2014 Spring season will be on Saturday, Dec. 14th at the Northwest Community Hospital’s Wellness Center from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The club offers competitive teams for players from grades 5 to 12.

After winning the 2013 Illinois Middle School State Championship and enjoying a 5-1 Fall Ball season with their high school side, the Stallions coaching staff is optimistic going into 2014.

“This is our tenth year and the excitement felt by our coaches and players is at an all-time high,” said coach Paul Bergman.

Stallions players regularly qualify to play for the Illinois All-State side, the Tornados, who will be touring Europe next summer.

Stallions alumni are currently playing for such college clubs as Dayton, Xavier, Davenport, UW-Whitewater, Western Illinois and St. Mary’s (California).

For more information, visit the Stallions website at www.arlingtonstallionsrugby.com or call (847) 845-4982.

Ÿ Please email Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com or FAX to (847) 427-1173.