Wiskirchen's passion set up Schaumburg

It isn't just the gaudy stats that make Mitch Wiskirchen a stellar volleyball player.

Sure, he's got those. The Schaumburg senior setter finished the season with 466 assists (1,047 on his career) and a .369 assist percentage.

And don't forget about the hitting. Wiskirchen hammered 126 kills this year, had 39 block kills and excelled at the service line as well with 34 aces.

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No, it's more than just statistics -- it's the way he plays every attack, every serve, every set and every point as if the game hangs in the balance that make Wiskirchen stand out from the crowd as the Cook County captain of the 2008 Daily Herald All-Area Boys Volleyball Team.

"Mitch plays with great passion," said Schaumburg coach Kyle Reid. "He always came up big when the game was on the line."

Indeed, it was at crunch time, when a match could be decided with a crucial kill or clutch block, that Wiskirchen was at his best -- and he relished the role.

"It's all about energy," said Wiskirchen. "If you're excited, the rest of the team gets excited, and everyone starts to pick each other up."

"Mitch does keep the energy level up," agreed teammate and friend Conner Nelson. "He never let us get down on ourselves. If we did, he'd pick us up and get us ready for the next play."

It's also about experience, and Wiskirchen has plenty of that.

While many prep volleyball players take up the game at the latter part of their junior high journey and some not until they begin high school, Wiskirchen has been playing -- and setting -- since the fifth grade.

The senior learned the game from his older brother Nick, a right-side hitter and 2005 Schaumburg grad, and Laura Vallenta, the former coach at St. Peter's school in Schaumburg.

"She was my first head coach," said Wiskirchen, "and she was very intense. She taught me to be like that -- and along with my natural competitive instinct, I believe that the more intense you are, the more luck you have.

"After playing four years at St. Peter's, I felt like I had my bearings right away at Schaumburg instead of just starting out from scratch, and I played for a great coach (Brad Stevens) my freshman year, so it was a good cycle."

It's been an up and down yet satisfying season for Wiskirchen and Schaumburg.

The Saxons fought their way through some early challenges to finish 18-18, but fell short in the playoffs, dropping their opening-round match to Glenbard North.

"It was disappointing," said Wiskirchen. "I felt bad, because I had played with a lot of these guys for a long time, and we all had put in a lot of time and effort.

"Still, there were a lot of great things about this season. I felt good about it. We pushed and played our way through a lot of adversity."

On an individual basis, the season ended for Wiskirchen on a high note when he was named Mid-Suburban West player of the year.

"That was nice, and a bit of a surprise," said Wiskirchen, who was a force on defense as well this year with 248 digs. "I was actually just hoping for an all-conference nod."

But as typifies his sense of team play, Wiskirchen deflected the praise to his teammates.

"The entire team excelled," said Wiskirchen. "The way I look at it, for me to win as a setter, that means that everyone else had a hand in helping me win the award."

It's leadership skills like that that aren't lost on Reid.

"Mitch was our team captain," said Reid, "and one of the things I was most impressed with was how hard he worked to help the younger players develop their game."

Wiskirchen has lived his entire life within a half mile of the Schaumburg campus, but after graduation, he'll be reunited with his brother at Lakeland College in Sheboygan, Wis., studying psychology and education, and of course playing volleyball.

That will be a big loss for the Saxons.

"Whoever steps into our setter role next season," said Reid, "will have some big shoes to fill."