Top liberos Hong, Quezada and Schiferl lead the way

The position of libero, or defensive specialist, may be the most physically demanding of any spot on the volleyball court.

Luckily for the Hersey, Rolling Meadows and Wheeling boys teams, each boast one of the best in the area on their roster.

Justin Hong of the Huskies, Marc Quezada from Meadows, and Matthew Schiferl of the Wildcats each earned all-area honors in 2016 as juniors.

Now this trio of superlative athletes are back to lead their respective teams in their senior campaign.

So, what exactly makes a great libero?

According to long-time coach Nancy Lill of Hersey, leadership skills are at the forefront.

"A good libero has to be the leader of the backcourt," said Lill. "He needs to be very vocal, show a high level of energy, have a never-say-die attitude, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to keep the ball off the floor."

Toughness is also one of the keys, according to Mustangs coach Kevin Bourn.

"A tough libero is willing to run into the area left by a hole in the block," said Bourn, "knowing quite well that he may get hit in the face. A libero must be able to read every play as it develops on the other side of the net, therefore anticipating every opponent's next move."

Anticipation is one of the assets that makes Schiferl of Wheeling, who dug 344 balls last season to go along with an 87.6 serve percentage, one of the state's brightest stars and definitely up to the task.

"We joke that Matt reads the ball so well," said Wildcats coach Jason Kopkowski, "and his reaction skills are so good, that it seems like he knows what the other team is going to do before they do it."

"I'm always asked who my best all-around volleyball player is and I'd have to say it's Matt. He understands the game so well, he puts in the work, and he has a high volleyball IQ."

Schiferl, who will go on next fall to enroll and play at Augustana, has played libero all four years of his high-school career after learning the game on park district teams in his grade school years.

"I think a libero has to have good reaction time," said Schiferl, "and I'm always reading the hitters, watching their elbows and shoulders, to make sure that my body goes to the right place on the court.

"You've got to be aggressive on the ball, and you can't give up on any ball. You've got to be ready to get dirty and be the captain of the back row."

Hersey's Hong will attend the Univeristy of Illinois after the summer, and he's coming off a junior season where he had a 2.53 serve receive ratio and 434 digs.

"I started (my career) playing outside hitter," said Hong, "but I struggled. Switching over to libero, I'm consistently able to do my job and give back to my team. My job is to not let the team down, be verbal, get the ball up, be quick on my feet and read the hitters hands, whether they're going to cut it or tip it."

Coach Lill has certainly appreciated the effort the last few years.

"When you watch the Huskies play," said Lill, "you can't help but notice Justin, with his high energy play and tremendous court presence. He's everywhere on the court, relentless, chasing balls down and frustrating top hitters with his defense.

"Justin is one of the best liberos we've ever had at Hersey and I know he's ready for his senior year."

Quezada of Meadows will take his game international this summer before enrolling at California Lutheran in the fall, where he'll compete for the Kingsmen and major in education in the hopes of becoming a teacher and coach after graduation. He'll also be playing in Italy for two weeks over the summer as part of 'America's Team.'

"It's something I was recruited for," said the RM senior, "and so it's quite an honor."

According to coach Bourn of the Mustangs, Quezada, who has finished with 453 digs and 51 service aces over the last two seasons, is deserving of any accolades of this type that come his way.

"Marc has been on my team for all for years here at Meadows," said Bourn, "and it's been fun to see him grow from the eager freshman jumping on to the court in preseason open gyms to one of the best players around."

Quezada said that the skills required at the taxing libero position are clear-cut.

"Quickness, aggressiveness and speed," said Quezada. "A good libero has to be very vocal and be the leader of back row."

"This year, being a senior, I know coach is going to look to me to keep the team going with a positive attitude, and keep the team together. My main goals are going to be consistency, ensuring we never stop peaking, and giving one hundred and ten per cent on every play."

"We'll never let down and we're going to play every match to the last point."