Mueller adds to Hersey's winning legacy
Hersey senior setter Shelly Mueller hardly hesitates when asked about her volleyball idol.
"Oh, Megan Fesl," she says in an instant, referring to the former Hersey standout who now plays for Notre Dame.
"I remember when I was in seventh grade (at St. Paul Lutheran in Mount Prospect) and I went to a varsity match to watch my sister (Katie) play for Hersey. I was sitting in the stands and I was just in awe of No. 11 (Megan Fesl) and that she was only a sophomore. I immediately started doing the math in my head. If I could make the varsity as a freshman, I could play with her."
Well, Mueller proved enough to Huskies coach Nancy Lill that she could help out as a freshman right side hitter three years ago.
That meant Mueller got her wish.
"It was a dream come true playing out on the court with her," Shelly said. "She inspired me a lot and taught me a lot about the game."
And Mueller kept learning.
Fesl's sister Annie served as one of the state's top setters during Mueller's sophomore season.
Lill knew she would need to replace Annie and thought she had the right person with Mueller, who had never played the position before.
"I challenged Shelly her sophomore year and asked her if she wanted to be a setter," Lill said. "Her club coach (Peter Marimonti of Rolling Thunder) was nice enough to let her set his team, taking someone who had never set before. But it ended up good for him, because he ended up with a darn good setter."
And now, for the second straight year, Mueller is trying to lead Hersey to a Mid-Suburban League championship. The Huskies are currently 15-3 and leading the MSL East with a 5-0 record.
"I thought it was amazing to watch Annie Fesl set and how she got the ball to all the hitters and made everything so perfect," Mueller said. "I never knew how she did it, and I still don't. It awes me now to be doing what she did for Hersey."
Lill says Mueller does it with her athleticism, hands and intelligence.
"She is so smart," the coach said. "She sees the court so well. She has the ability to give the hitters the ball where they can do a lot of damage."
Mueller, who has a 5.1 grade point average on a 5.0 scale, is looking at some colleges out east.
She is not sure if she will play volleyball at the collegiate level, but she plans to study athletic training or physical therapy and for sure play intramural volleyball.
"I've always liked sports and growing up I was an athletic kid," she said. "I've always been interested in the way the body moves and I like science class. Teammates will always come up to me if they have a jammed finger, if a muscle hurts or things like that. It just interests me a lot."
Mueller has been interested in volleyball since the fifth grade.
"One of my friend's older sisters played club volleyball and her father asked me If I wanted to play," Mueller recalled. "And my mom (Sue) is an official for junior high matches, so I remember going to those matches and watching volleyball.
"When coach Lill told me the club coach was OK with me trying to learn setting, I said, 'OK, why not? I'll try it.' And it all worked out."
It worked out so well that Mueller wouldn't want to play any other position.
"I love setting," she said. " I like having control of the offense and making decisions. And it's pretty neat to look back and see what we've done as a team. We're still strong like the ones I used to watch, and I hope we can finish the season strong."
Lill is confident in her senior setter.
"Her hands are so good," said the veteran coach, who has won 665 matches, 6 MSL titles, 12 MSL division titles and 6 supersectionals in her 24 seasons. "And she is so smart. She sees the court so well and she has the ability to give the hitters the ball where they can do damage."
Mueller is used to doing damage herself as a hitter from a few years back, but this setting job has given her a different love for the game.
"No way did I ever think I'd be doing this," she said. "I always thought I'd be hitting outside. But I love setting. It is so much fun."