Girls volleyball: Romy Fleegle finds confidence to star for unbeaten Libertyville alongside sister: ‘Romy has come into her own’

Libertyville’s Romy Fleegle seemed destined to play volleyball from an early age.

Her oldest sister, Emma Colyer, played the sport at a Florida high school and then at Mount Aloysius College, and her older sister Charlie Fleegle is a senior libero who has starred for the Wildcats since her freshman year.

“I started playing volleyball when I was 8 years old because both of my older sisters played and I always watched them,” Romy Fleegle said.

But Romy Fleegle also felt pressure as she followed Charlie into the Libertyville program and almost quit the sport before her freshman season, around the time Charlie committed to Illinois State last year.

“It was super draining at the time, going to practice every day and not seeing improvements that I wanted to see,” Romy Fleegle said, “seeing the commitments and also watching my older sister and comparing myself to others, and then realizing I was not there yet and not sure if I ever would be at that level.”

Romy Fleegle may get there yet. The 5-foot-5 sophomore defensive specialist has become an invaluable player for the Wildcats (21-0, 2-0), who are trying to win their second straight North Suburban Conference title and surpass their 2025 Class 4A supersectional appearance.

Romy Fleegle leads the Wildcats with 33 aces — one more than Charlie has — and 214 serve receptions, and she also has 109 digs. She had five aces in the season opener against Lakes and had nine digs against Center Grove of Indiana in the semifinals of the Effingham Crossroads Classic, which the Wildcats won.

“Romy has been integral to our success,” Libertyville coach Greg Loika said. “She’s the libero-in-training when Charlie graduates. She’s phenomenal and very skilled. Romy has come into her own this year and found her own voice and leadership style.

“She’s the first server out of the gate for us most matches. We trust her to serve aggressively and put points on the board right away. It’s always a nice jump out of the gate, and she’s excellent in serve-receive and excellent defensively.”

Romy Fleegle said the key for her is not letting negative plays linger in her head.

“I really struggled with my confidence earlier, so being able to joke and laugh on the court really distracts my mind,” she said. “Forgetting those mistakes and moving on and seeing my teammates smile makes me want to smile too.”

That has also helped Romy Fleegle become a better communicator on the court.

“I was really caged in last year,” she said. “So I learned how to express myself more and be a loud person on the court. In the back row, I needed to talk.”

Charlie Fleegle, who has 245 digs this season, said Romy has made significant progress.

“Romy has become more vocal and aggressive on the court,” Charlie Fleegle said. “You can always count on her to be there and pass an amazing ball. She has helped us out tremendously this season with her leadership and skill set.

“The biggest piece of advice I have given her is to always bring energy and confidence. Seeing her become more confident and loud on the court has been amazing for our team this season.”

Libertyville junior middle hitter Vivian Lang can tell Romy Fleegle is playing with confidence.

“She is super relentless when it comes to defense,” Lang said. “She goes for everything, and she is able to read hitters very well.”

Now Romy Fleegle is embracing the challenge of becoming the next person in her family to play volleyball in college.

“Obviously, there are highs and lows throughout the season, but I really got back to the sport,” she said. “I really want to play in college, and I’m just loving the game even more.”