Girls volleyball: St. Charles East's Goudreau named Fox All-Area Captain

Thinking back on it, sure, there was some trepidation for Kate Goudreau.

That will happen when you're a freshman volleyball player and you get bumped up to varsity a week into the season, as Goudreau did for St. Charles East.

"I was a little shy coming into it," Goodreau recalled. "It was an insane experience to play up and the level of competition as a freshman was really cool."

From there, though, the rest of her career was a long and winding road, in large part because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But she's a senior now, and the prize for walking that road is a trip to the Class 4A state tournament, starting Friday at Redbird Arena at Illinois State University. The Saints will play Mother McAuley at approximately 8:30 p.m.

Getting there wasn't easy. In coach Jennie Kull's final season, Goudreau - this year's Captain of the Daily Herald Fox All-Area Girls Volleyball Team - and her teammates had get past top-seeded Willowbrook in the super sectional on Nov. 4, doing so in straight sets, 25-23, 25-17.

"Going into that game, we were a little nervous, but we collectively decided it was doable," Goudreau said. "We were prepared, and getting past that, we knew we could make it down there.

"It was a crazy feeling. We're actually going."

Goudreau has had the kind of season for the 33-7 Saints that other players can only dream about, culminating in that trip downstate. Heading into the tournament, she has 412 kills, 25 aces, 28 blocks and a hitting percentage of .521.

But it all started that freshman year, which Kull recalls with delight.

"Kate has a really heavy arm and she is intelligent," Kull said. "She jumps well and is very competitive, and those things shot out to me right away that that was somebody who was going to make a difference for us."

But COVID-19 brought things into stark reality. St. Charles East's fall 2020 season got scrapped, though there was a protracted season the following spring, one in which players had to wear uncomfortable masks that made it hard to breathe.

"Honestly, I blocked a lot of that out," Goudreau said. "It was still a season of volleyball, but there wasn't much we could do with it."

But happily, that was then, this is now, and the Saints have an opportunity to make history this weekend, which is why the leadership of both Goudreau and fellow senior libero Lia Schneider will be crucial.

But it's more than that, junior setter Sarah Musial said.

"I would say first and foremost, she's a four-year varsity athlete," she said of Goudreau. "Being able to play with her last year and then this year, with her confidence on the court, we all trust her to be our scorer and the captain of our team."

Added her Team One club coach, Brandon Im: "She's very lighthearted and someone who can light up a room. On the court, as soon as the game starts, Kate is a big competitor."

Goudreau, who started playing volleyball in second grade and advanced to club play as a fifth grader in Texas before moving to St. Charles a year later, is undecided about playing in college.

She's examining all of her options, both academic and athletic, but one thing is for sure: She's looking for that home and family feel, a place she can thrive.

Just like high school, which is the advice she gives to youngsters aspiring to be her someday.

"You really just have to put everything into it," she said. "I spent years just focusing on volleyball. Going in early all the time, watching film, and getting that next step of skill. Never being satisfied where you're at and getting to the next level."