Alesia serves as heart of Fremd's squad

It's not difficult to realize how valuable Stephanie Alesia is to Fremd's girls volleyball team.

"She is the only person I have not taken out of the lineup all season," said veteran Fremd coach Curt Pinley. "She plays all around for us, and she is a floor captain."

Alesia certainly deserves that status for the 16-5 Vikings.

Just listen a little more to Pinley.

"In our tournament at Glenbard West two weeks ago, I knew Stephanie was not feeling well. You could see it in her face. But she never once said a word. That's something this team expects of her. She is definitely a leader who the girls can watch and see how hard she works in every practice every day and every match."

Alesia says her terrific work ethic comes from her passion for the game.

"I just love it so much," said Alesia, who was an all-area selection as a junior in her first year on the varsity. " I love every second of it."

And opposing defenses and offenses have to be on their toes every second when going against Alesia.

She'll drill a dynamic kill one minute, then come back with a nifty dig the next.

Last year, Alesia was in the top three in every offensive category except setting. The same holds true this fall.

"She has exceeded all our expectations from last year to this year," Pinley said. "She plays a very strong back row, and she is our leader in kills. We have some very good defensive players, but I still can't see not using Stephanie in the back row. She's too pivotal."

Alesia wants it no other way.

"I think I prefer defense because when you dig you get to do the 'James Bond' roll," Alesia said. "But there's also the gratification you get on offense when you feel like you've ousted someone who is taller than you,

And in the case of Alesia that happens quite often. She stands 5-foot-7. That means she is generally giving fits to players more in the 5-10 to 6-foot range who are trying to block her.

"Sometimes, I feel like I have to prove myself," she said about her height. "I want to show people I can do anything if I put my mind to it."

She says a lot of jump-training work has helped her leaping ability.

"Even though she's only 5-7, she tends to go against the other team's best blockers," Pinley said. "Day in and day out, she finds ways to win these contests, where she has to battle the taller players. She has great jumping ability and a very good court sense."

She keeps the defenders off balance by mixing up her shots.

"She tips well," Pinley said. "She knows how to push it to the deep corner. She knows how to use a soft roll shot. She can do a variety of things when the ball is set to her."

Alesia never took it for granted that one day she'd be the one making all the right plays for Fremd's varsity team.

"Honestly, I always thought I was so bad compared to all these girls," she said. "I would see all the great hitters and how big they were and then there was a little short person like me,"

But she has overcome it with her knowledge, experience and hard work.

Alesia's volleyball days started when her mother Lorrie was working at the Alumni Club in Schaumburg. Some of Lorrie's duties involved the sand volleyball courts located outside.

"And we had a lot of family get-togethers where we would set up a volleyball net and I would play, too," said Stephanie, who wears No. 10 for her father Ron's birthday. "I starting playing organized volleyball at Carl Sandburg Junior High (Palatine), and I went to clinics around here and played at local recreation centers."

By the time she reached Fremd, Alesia was good enough to make the freshman A team.

Alesia, who plays with the Sky High Volleyball Club, is leaning toward playing the sport at Aurora University.

"I would like to coach volleyball one day,"she said. "I want to study English and have a second major in education. I want to either teach English or be a writer."

She certainly has written a stellar script at Fremd.

Not too many players reach all-area status in their first year on the varsity.

"I never really thought of myself as a great volleyball player," she said. "I just always loved the game and wanted to play it constantly. When I started playing in high school and watching how good the other players were, I was like, 'Oh, I don't compare to them at all,'"

Today, not many players in the Mid-Suburban League compare to Alesia.

"She is a complete player," Pinley said. "Teams try to hit away from her when they are attacking, but they can't avoid her. Even in serve receive, they'll try to serve away from her, and she's not even our defensive specialist."