Trusting teammates propelled Rockets
NORMAL - Trust can go a long way in high school volleyball. Just ask Burlington Central's Stephanie Holthus and Molly Turk.
The Rockets did not arrive here at Redbird Arena for the Class 3A Final Four because they have a plethora of tall and powerful hitters. They arrived here because they have a solid team led by two Division I recruits who trust each other from A to Z when they are on the volleyball court.
Holthus is a 6-foot junior who has more kills this season (495) than any player who will step on the Redbird court this weekend in any class. The Northwestern recruit is also a seasoned volleyball veteran, having won a national championship last season with her Fusion club team, a tournament in which she was named the MVP.
Turk, who will play at Northern Iowa next year, is one of the finest setters to ever play in this area. Her ability to get to the volleyball is uncanny and her moxie on the court is rivaled by few and the main reason she is the two-time captain of the Daily Herald's All-Area team.
And they both believe with all their hearts that they make each other better.
"Stephanie is such an adjustable hitter; she can adjust to any set and that makes me much more comfortable," Turk said Friday while watching today's state semifinal opponent, Chicago Payton, practice at Redbird. "With Stephanie I don't have to worry about it being a perfect set every time. We trust each other. With how many reps she gets in a game we've become so comfortable with each other. I think we play pretty well together. I don't want to sound cocky but our combination is pretty hard to stop. She makes me better."
It would be easy enough for Holthus to be thinking about the club season that starts next week, but she is clearly focused on winning a high school state championship.
"There's no better way to end the season," she said. "This is a dream come true. There's just a ton of school spirit going around."
Holthus wants badly to succeed, regardless of the venue.
"Every time I've won something it keeps me more determined to get better as a team," she said. "Whenever you step on the court it's a chance to learn something new. If you don't do that you aren't going anywhere as an athlete."
Holthus relishes the opportunity to have a setter like Turk beside her.
"She makes me look good," Holthus said. "She gets to balls that setters normally wouldn't get. When she's setting all I have to do is get my feet set and it's going down. I wouldn't be as successful as I am without her."
Holthus' hitting power has been no secret since she stepped onto the varsity scene as a freshman. But now, with another year of high school to go before she heads to Evanston, she's becoming a complete player.
"I've worked on my serve receive and defense and moving my feet to the ball more," she said. "Serve receive is big to this team because we're not very big at the net. You have to work hard at moving your feet to the ball. Serve receive is the hardest part of the game in my mind."
In the Rockets' last three matches, Holthus has pounded down more than 50 kills. But more importantly she is 68-of-68 on serve receive in those 3 matches, a fact not lost on BC coach Marv Leavitt.
"I think she's improved as a hitter but her defense has been rock solid," said Leavitt, who has called Holthus the best hitter he's coached in his 19 years in the high school game.
"Stephanie is a competitor who wants to be the best. Every time she goes on the court it's a challenge to her. It's not in her nature to take a practice off or a game off or play at a different level just because it's not club."
Leavitt also appreciates the bond Holthus and Turk have.
"They have a special connection and they do feed off each other," he said. "They respect each other and they make each other better."
Trust and respect. It's taken Holthus, Turk and the Rockets a along way this season. And maybe, just maybe, Saturday night it will bring the school its first team state championship in any sport.