Grunden proves a cut above

Maybe that middle-school volleyball coach was right.

Maybe Jenn Grunden couldn't play right. Couldn't play the right side. Couldn't play the opposite side. And the middle?

No chance. Not when you're that little.

Maybe the young girl wasn't athletic enough or, simply, not good at volleyball.

"I tried out my sixth-grade year and the coach told me to pick a different sport," Grunden said.

"So I decided that I wanted to make the team the next year, and that year I played club."

By her freshman year of high school, Grunden had made Lake Zurich's varsity. Three years later, despite her modest 5-foot-7 frame, she is a deadly hitter who rifles spikes and places shots with such precision that defenders are often left sprawled on their stomachs after balls have bounced off the court.

Grunden, a senior outside hitter, is the captain of the Daily Herald's Lake County All-Area team after helping lead the Bears to the North Suburban Conference championship, a Class 4A regional title on their home floor and a 32-6 record heading into today's 7 p.m. sectional championship match against Hersey at Stevenson.

On a team talented and tall - fellow Lake Zurich starters Audrey Bauer, Alexis Hartman, Amanda Orchard, Brittany Murawski and Alex Karigan all stand around 6 feet - no one has stood taller than Grunden.

"I'm tiny compared to them," Grunden said. "I've had a lot of fun. I love playing with my team. The girls are great."

For her, winning is just a bonus. She's slammed 241 kills (second most on the team behind fellow captain Murawski's 254) and leads the Bears with 354 digs and 73 aces. She can play defense as well as she can play offense.

Bears coach Matt Aiello saw the drive in Grunden from the get-go.

"She was not fun sometimes in practice," Aiello said. "She would get frustrated with herself, even as a freshman, when she wasn't doing that well. She was such a perfectionist that I knew we had something special."

With a laugh and sinister eyes, Grunden admits she's "really stubborn."

The more you doubt her, the more inspired she becomes.

"If someone tells me not to do something," she said, "I'm going to work my butt off and try to do it."

Guess who's doubting her now? College coaches, apparently. Grunden hasn't received a scholarship offer.

"They all see the height thing," Aiello said. "They're all making a mistake. She'll play. Whoever gets her is going to get a diamond in the rough, for sure."

"I haven't really thought about it," Grunden said. "I just want to get through the high school season."

No sense doubting her. And as far as that old coach who questioned her? Grunden harbors no grudge.

"I have her to thank for this," Grunden said, "because she told me I couldn't do something."