Tupuritis courts success at Maine W.

Alise Tupuritis wanted to be a basketball player when she was at Chippewa Middle School in Des Plaines.

"It's weird," said the 6-foot-1 Maine West senior. "My brother and sister played volleyball, but I told my parents I wanted to play basketball."

A few months later, that all changed as quickly as those dynamic slams by Tupuritis can change a volleyball match.

After attending a volleyball camp at the University of Illinois in the seventh grade, Tupuritis fell in love with the sport.

Her passion has never wavered.

Tupuritis made the Maine West varsity as a freshman and played key offensive roles for Central Suburban North conference championship teams as a junior and senior.

Now, as a senior, all her hard work has paid off with a verbal commitment to play on scholarship for Bradley University.

A co-captain this fall, Tupuritis hopes to help lead the Warriors to three straight league titles under third-year coach Randy Tiller.

"It's my fourth year," she said. "I definitely want to try to be a vocal leader and leader by example."

Tupuritis is a perfect example of how hard work pays off.

When she decided to dedicate herself to volleyball, she put in numerous hours perfecting her game.

"I basically dropped all other sports and focused on volleyball," said Tupuritis, who played freshman basketball and summer softball a few years ago. "I joined the 1st Alliance Club in Western Springs and that really made a difference."

She did not have to look far for an idol in the sport.

Her brother Rob, now working at the New York Stock Exchange, was an All-American outside hitter for the University of Illinois, where he studied engineering.

Rob, seven years older than Alise, was an all-stater for Maine West, and Alise's sister Justine also played volleyball for the Warriors.

The family has roots in Latvia, a country in northern Europe.

"Every summer a group of Latvians get together in Michigan and we play pickup volleyball games," Alise said. "There are four guys and two girls on each team. The girls are usually the setters."

It gives Alise the chance to play on the same team with her brother.

"I've definitely looked up to him since I was little," Alise said. "And my parents (Arnie and Barb) have always been so supportive with all my decisions. They were really happy I chose Bradley."

Tupuritis, a National Honor Society member (3.8 GPA on 4.0 scale) and Warriors pride mentor, is unsure what she will study in Peoria.

"I might look into physical therapy or along those lines," she said.

For now, she is concentrating on hitting down the line and any other part of the floor where she sees an opening.

Tiller is just glad she's doing it for the Warriors.

"Her jumping ability and upper-body strength are great," Tiller said. "It's amazing how high she can get. She touches 9-foot-10. That alone gives her such an advantage over the closest blockers. Plus, she has the natural hitting strength and timing to place the ball where she wants. That makes her tough to stop."

Tupuritis hopes the Warriors are tough to stop this fall.

"Winning conference back-to-back years is quite an accomplishment," she said. "I'm hoping we can defend our title. When Mr. Tiller came here two years ago, we knew we had to take things seriously. He knows how to choose the right athletes and makes us work hard. I'm hoping this is another good year."