No tall tale: Toczek keeps growing

Last year, Antioch 6-foot-2 middle blocker Megan Toczek grew into her body.

This season, the senior has grown into her personality.

Toczek, who has talked more on the court this season than in the previous three combined, has Antioch off to a 9-1 start (through Wednesday).

"It's nice to have her out there talking because we need more leaders," senior Lindsay Callanan said. "She's so much more vocal. When she slams it to the floor, the other team does not have a chance. Everyone gets fired up and the crowd starts screaming."

In her first nine matches, Toczek compiled 57 kills in 103 attempts. She had 39 blocks, 24 of which were solo.

"When I get a block now, everyone knows about it," Toczek said. "I get very excited about it. The more you yell and get excited, the more it brings the other team down.

As a freshman and even a sophomore, Toczek was not particularly comfortable on the volleyball court.

"I was just learning the game my freshman year," she said. "When I was put in a game, I was completely shaky. I didn't really know what was going on."

Key for Toczek was deciding to playing club volleyball, which helped speed up her learning curve. Last year, she was a solid player for the Sequoits. This season, she is one of the area's best middle hitters.

"She's a lot more aggressive than in the past," Antioch coach Glen Heitman said. "She doesn't let mistakes bother her. She's worked extremely hard between her sophomore year and now."

Toczek has become a more versatile hitter. She's able to handle sets from different points places on the court.

And when she comes through with a big play, she's not afraid to let people know about it.

"(Volleyball) is a big thing for me," Toczek said. "My personality on the court has definitely changed."

All hitting, all the time:ŒAfter dividing her time last year between hitting and setting, senior Katie Lonergan no loner has to multi-task.

Lonergan can devote her full attention on offense to attacking. She had a team-high 7 kills in a victory over Round Lake on Tuesday and has 52 for the season.

"We're able to get the ball to Katie on the outside and let her do what she does best," Heitman said.

Lonergan also has emerged as the Sequoits' best player in serve-receive.

"That's been the biggest thing she's taken on," Heitman said. "She's handling about 35 percent of (opposing) serves."

Happy Heitman: After Bob Schenk retired at the end of last season, some players and parents wrote to the Antioch administration hoping to bolster the chance that Heitman would become the new head coach.

Heitman has proved to be a natural fit because he was Schenk's assistant and had coached many of these players at lower levels.

"He knew how we played," Lonergan said. "We needed him as the coach."

Heitman's promotion made for a smooth transition.

"Everyone knew he was a very good coach," Toczek said. "We're excited to have him this year."