Girls volleyball: Radtke more than measures up for Stevenson

It was a match at Buffalo Grove and yes, Stevenson was the clear favorite as upstart Wheeling from the Mid-Suburban League stood in the Patriots' way as they pursued a girls volleyball regional championship.

Wheeling had quite the player on the other side of the net. She was tall and could crush a volleyball at any time. Timber Terrell would be a handful for the Patriots.

But guess what? The Patriots had their own player of note. And she, too, could pound a volleyball.

Jori Radtke had 16 kills in two sets, and Stevenson prevailed in the title match, 25-17, 25-19.

Radtke is quick to credit her teammates for her superior play on the court.

She will say she wasn't all that good. The truth is, she is very good.

In this, her senior season, the versatile star crossed over the 500 kill mark.

For her superior play this fall in helping her Patriots surpass the 30-win mark again, she has been selected to captain the Daily Herald's girls volleyball all-area team for Lake County.

On that special day before the match at Buffalo Grove, Radtke credited the scouting report that her teammates had viewed earlier in the day.

"We played very well,'' Radtke said. "We scouted Wheeling quite a bit. We put a double-block on Timber, and if that didn't work, we put a triple block on her."

This was no overnight sensation story. Radtke followed the path established by her older sister,

Jenna, who'd made quite the impression on the Stevenson program.

Listed at 5-foot-11, Jori Radtke's great jumping ability and court sense have served her well during her run with the Pats. She earned a spot as a defender on the varsity starting her freshman year.

"I loved being the defensive specialist,'' Radtke said. "I loved my teammates from that season. I learned so much."

Still, she crossed over the 1,000-kill mark back in September of this year.

This just not someone who puts the ball away. She plays back row with the best of them and is also a dangerous server.

Another 16 kills went up on the board for Radtke in Tuesday's semifinal match win over Lake Forest. That match went three sets with the Scouts taking set one, 25-12.

"I think we took that first game for granted,'' Radtke said. "We knew we needed to step up or the season would be over."

It's easy to say this is a fierce competitor. This hard hitter gives her team a chance to win every time she takes the court.

"I'm a very competitive person,'' she said. "My whole family is. Once, I started volleyball, I took it seriously."

She's officially passed over her fantastic 500-kills mark and sits at 505.

Her 222 digs are also impressive.

"I'm getting a lot more sets this year,'' Radtke said. "We were more of a ball-control team last year."

Radtke will again follow in her older sister's footsteps and take her talents to Northern Illinois University.

"It's a great program at NIU,'' she noted. "They are 11-1 in the MAC this year. I wanted to be close to home so my parents could watch me play. I love the atmosphere up there."

Radtke has found another home with the Rolling Thunder club team.

"I've been there for four years,'' she said. "We have great chemistry. They are like sisters to me."

She's certainly a fan of this indoor sport.

"You learn something new all the time,'' she said. "People think it's much easier than it is. It is such a fast sport."