Freshman phenom Lani Akenten powers up for Burlington Central, leaving Jacobs to ask, ‘How do we defend that?
Burlington Central’s Lani Akenten came into her freshman season with a pretty high pedigree, but you never really know how a younger player will adapt to the varsity level.
That hasn’t been a problem.
The Rockets’ new star outside hitter already leads the team in kills through the first eight matches.
“I thought I would adapt but not as quickly as I have,” Akenten said. “I just like playing with older people. In my mind, I want to beat them because they’re older. That helps in high school.”
Akenten made herself right at home Wednesday night in a 25-18, 25-15 Fox Valley Conference victory over Jacobs. She played a big part in the win with seven kills, two aces and six digs.
Dayton recruit Ainsley Wilson led Burlington Central (6-2, 3-0) with nine kills and two aces, while Makenna Manganiello served four aces. Rachelle Zieba paced Jacobs (0-3, 0-3) with six kills.
It didn’t take long for Rockets coach Julia Smagacz to realize that she had a real talent on her hands in Akenten, who already has 69 kills in her young career.
“We were pretty aware of the things she could do before she got here,” Smagacz said. “In camp, she showed us pretty early that she was going to play at a pretty high level.
“She’s contributed right away. She’s doing very well.”
Akenten didn’t get set the first rotation of the first game but did serve two aces.
The second rotation was a different story. Her first kill reverberated through the gym and got the team fired up. Her three kills in a four-point span helped Burlington Central break a 12-12 tie and pull away for a 25-18 win.
“You see her hit one ball, and you know if you’re on the other side of the net, that kid is going to be a problem,” Smagacz said. “She has a lot of mental maturity for a freshman.
“If she gets blocked, misses a hit, she’s ready for that next point. She’s very controlled up in her head, which I think helps her a lot too. That combined with her physicality.”
Smagacz is playing Akenten all six rotations, a rarity for a freshman, because she trusts her defense in the back row. Akenten also has a diverse set of skills at the net and is lethal at the service line.
The fact that Smagacz has put that much on her plate helped Akenten feel comfortable right away.
“It makes me happy that she trusts me,” Akenten said of Smagacz. “It makes me want to do a good job — do the job I need to do. It just makes me feel confident.”
Akenten pointed out that the way the veteran players have welcomed her has helped as well.
“It’s cool to see their perspective on volleyball at their age and how they play and how they think things should go,” Akenten said. “It helps you improve your skills.”
Jacobs coach Michael Depa couldn’t help but notice those skills right away.
“She can swing down the line or swing across,” Depa said. “It doesn’t really matter where you set up the block. She can find it. She’s something to be scared of — how do we defend that?
“It’s not easy.”
Akenten enters high school with dreams of playing Division I volleyball. She doesn’t have to look beyond her bench to see an example of how to get there in Wilson, a standout middle hitter.
“She’s someone to look up to,” Akenten said. “If she’s doing that, I can do that. I can go D-I. I want to go D-I.”