St. Francis' Vonderhaar determined to excel

Peg Kopec recites the three D's in describing Meg Vonderhaar.

“She's dependable, diligent and very determined,” St. Francis' volleyball coach said of her senior outside hitter. “She knows what it takes to get the job done.”

Meg's determination is not news to Nancy Vonderhaar.

Flash back to the Vonderhaar house in north Wheaton some five years ago. The Vonderhaars' fourth child then seventh-grader Meg made a convincing presentation to Nancy and her husband for playing club at Sports Performance.

“She said, ‘I think I can figure out a carpool and make it work,'” Nancy recalled Meg saying, “‘and I'm going to give up everything else. This is what I want to do. I'll pay for half of it.'

“We looked at each other and said, ‘How can we say no to that.'”

Meg wasn't pushed into it by her parents. She wasn't motivated to match an older siblings' volleyball glory. She wasn't driven to secure the almighty college scholarship.

She just loved the game.

“Meg doesn't go after things that aren't important to her,” Nancy Vonderhaar said. “She doesn't behave politically like other girls.”

“Volleyball,” Meg puts it matter-of-factly, “is pretty much my life.”

With Vonderhaar on the court, life has been good for St. Francis.

A four-year varsity player, she has won conference championships the last three years, two sectional championships and last summer won an AAU national championship with the Sports Performance 18 Elite team.

Heading into the home stretch of her high school career, the Notre Dame-bound Vonderhaar has 341 kills this season to go with 41 blocks, 59 aces and 197 digs.

For those accomplishments, and for keeping 28-7 St. Francis among the best volleyball teams in the area, Meg Vonderhaar is the 2010 Daily Herald DuPage County All-Area Captain.

Vonderhaar has long been considered one of the elite hitters in the state. PrepVolleyball.com ranks her 48th nationally in the Class of 2011.

Joliet Catholic coach Chris Scheibe, whose team has met Vonderhaar and St. Francis in the playoffs the last three years, doesn't need to read the scouting report to know to be on the lookout for No. 11.

“She's a physical presence on the floor with nice height,” Scheibe said. “When you see her jump and her swing she's an offensive weapon with the ability to terminate balls that teams need to prepare for.”

“She has a great variety of shots,” St. Francis senior Gina Madonia said. “She can move from outside to middle and she's a good blocker. We can move her to the right side and she gets the block.”

Scheibe might be more struck, though, with the intangibles Vonderhaar has brought to this particular Spartans team.

Graduating dynamic leaders Kelsey Robinson and Kristen Kelsay off a 36-3 team, St. Francis this fall was counting on the by-nature soft-spoken Vonderhaar to lead.

She hasn't disappointed.

“I've seen her play this year and watched how she takes charge of that team,” Scheibe said. “She seems to put them on her shoulders. It's impressive how she is able to do that. She comes from a long tradition of shoes to fill in that role, and I think she's done a good job of it.”

Vonderhaar played six rotations for the first time this fall. Stepping into that role as passer and defender was just as important as filling the leadership vacuum.

“There was definitely more of an opportunity to take on a leadership role this season,” Vonderhaar said. “This group of girls works well as a team and we have good chemistry and we use that to our advantage. I expect a lot out of myself and in turn I expect a lot out of my teammates.”

Nancy Vonderhaar said that Meg “has never been a big talker” and “doesn't feel the need to fill space with words.”

Madonia, who also plays with Vonderhaar on Sports Performance, said Meg isn't so reserved around the team.

“She is a vocal leader,” Madonia said. “She helps all the other hitters, she takes that responsibility upon herself. In practice she has the training to help everyone else. She has a really good attitude and is positive all the time. If she messes up, she wants the ball again.”

That demand for excellence comes from within. Vonderhaar had it long before this year.

She started playing volleyball for St. Michael's in fifth grade. Instead of following an older sibling's lead, Meg carved her own athletic niche. She tried soccer, basketball and track Nancy noted that she was an outstanding high jumper before settling on volleyball.

In seventh grade Meg joined the West Suburban Volleyball Club. When it folded she moved over to Sports Performance.

It was a perfect fit.

“I always say it isn't for everyone,” Nancy said, “but Meg loves the discipline and loves the structure. She's the same way around the house. She says, ‘Just tell me what the rules are.'”

Vonderhaar progressed through the Sports Performance program, to a crowning achievement last summer at the AAU National Championships in Florida.

“It was a really good feeling all the work that we had put in paid off,” Vonderhaar said. “I learned that in life there are no shortcuts. If you have a dream, you have to work every day at it.”

That is the case in the classroom, where Vonderhaar is in the top 10 in her class, and on the volleyball court. This year Vonderhaar has led St. Francis to a championship at the Early Bird Invite and second place at the Effingham Crossroads Classic.

“She's kind of grown up on our team; I can't imagine not seeing her out there,” Kopec said. “She has matured a lot, matured into a stronger leader.

“She can be a little quiet, but I noticed even during the off-season her developing her leadership skills. She certainly sets a fine example for a lot of the younger kids putting in the extra time in practice and lifting.”

Vonderhaar hopes to leave one last indelible mark on St. Francis volleyball these next two weeks.

She wants that state championship, something St. Francis has won eight times but has eluded her.

“This is my fourth year on varsity and we've never won a state championship,” Vonderhaar said. “That's still a goal I want to reach.”