Turk set a new standard at Burlington Central

In four seasons the Burlington Central volleyball program has risen in stature from also-ran to front-runner, paced by the skill and leadership of setter Molly Turk.

After teaming with the only high school coach she has ever known - 500-match winner Marv Leavitt, who began coaching at Central when Turk was a freshman - and supported the last three seasons by a cast that included supremely talented outside hitter Stephanie Holthus, Turk will leave the Central program in far better shape than she found it as a 14-year-old freshman in the fall of 2005.

Prior to the arrival of Turk and Leavitt, Central had won only two Class A regional titles (1995, 1998) and hadn't won a conference title since 1986.

With Turk, a 5-foot-9, four-year starter, the Rockets won regional titles in 2006 and 2008, back-to-back conference titles in the Big Northern-East and advanced to the Sweet 16 this season for the first time in school history.

The Rockets won 15 matches the year before Turk arrived. They have gone 114-33 since.

"I'm proud of how far our program has come the last four years, said Turk, who will take her game next season to the University of Northern Iowa. "We've set more records and set more standards. We've improved every year."

Turk improved along the way, too. After a back injury in her freshman season forced a position switch from hitter to setter as a sophomore, she developed into one of the top setters in the volleyball-rich suburbs. She set a school record last season with 830 assists.

But with four key seniors and Central's top two defensive players gone from last season's lineup, Turk felt compelled to assume an even larger role in 2008. Knowing the Rockets would be a height-challenged team at the net this year, she became a middle hitter in two rotations.

The results speak for themselves. Entering Thursday's Class 3A sectional title match, the senior had posted 208 spike kills with a .446 hitting efficiency and 78 blocks. She also registered 621 assists, 184 digs and 43 aces.

Her statistics combined with her intangible leadership skills have earned Molly Turk the title of honorary captain of the Daily Herald's All-Area girls volleyball team for the second straight season. She shared the award last season with Streamwood's Katie Post.

"In terms of a great high school player, I couldn't ask for more," Leavitt said. "When you say someone's willing to do anything for the team to be successful, that's exactly where she's at. She just stepped right in and did a great job for us as a hitter.

"Her best position is clearly setter. We're just a shorter team this year and we needed someone to step up for us. Actually, Molly volunteered at the end of last season. She saw what we had coming up in terms of middle hitters and said, 'Maybe I can be there.'"

Said Turk: "I knew I'd be one of the tallest girls, and Marv said that might work. Every libero wants to hit, every setter wants to be a middle, and every middle wants to be a libero. That's just how volleyball is. You always want to play the position no one else thinks you can play. I just wanted to try."

Turk learned the art of blocking the middle from an expert - Central assistant coach Lindsey Johnson, who played middle hitter at St. Edward and Drake.

She learned a bit about hitting from the middle position via the art of eaves dropping. During the club volleyball season Turk would listen in as her Club Fusion coaches instructed teammate Erin Johnson, a 6-foot-5 Illinois recruit who plays for Crystal Lake South. Not everything taught to Johnson pertained to Turk, though, because Central's offense doesn't run quite as quickly as that of her elite-level club team.

In the end, she simply figured it out what worked best for her through instinct.

"You kind of have to teach yourself along the way and freelance," Turk said. "Everyone has their own style anyway. It was hard to try something I'm not comfortable with, but it was fun at the same time. Everyone had to take on roles on this team. I had to know mine. It went from me being kind of a leader at a position I knew very well last year to being a leader at something I didn't know quite as well this year."

According to her coach, Turk's positive mental attitude allowed her already substantial leadership abilities to develop further as a senior.

"She's a natural leader and people love playing for her because she's so positive and upbeat," Leavitt said. "She is just a great person. I've been very fortunate I was able to coach her. We're going to miss her."

Turk likewise said she will miss playing for the Rockets, but she's excited for the next stage of her life to begin at UNI, where she plans to study business or marketing.

"I just think I'm ready," she said. "I feel like I've been in high school forever. I'm ready to branch out."

No matter where life takes Molly Turk, she will always be able to look back on her high school experience with satisfaction, knowing she helped set a high standard for Burlington Central volleyball teams to match in the future.

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