In Bischoff Glenbard West trusts
One of the key ingredients in Glenbard West's run to this year's state title has been trust on the court among teammates.
There is nobody in boys volleyball who has earned the trust of his teammates as much as this year's captain of The Daily Herald All-Area team, Paulie Bischoff, the junior setter for the state champion Hilltoppers.
"We can trust Paulie to make the perfect set every time," said teammate Kyler Kotsakis, also a member of the All-Area team. "We run a fast offense, and his sets give our hitters the opportunities we need to score. He opens up the court, because he always keeps the blockers on the other team guessing."
"Paulie is all positive energy," said his coach, Christine Giunta-Mayer. "He has no negative tendencies. He makes his teammates better and they trust him. And that's a very important asset for a setter, because he touches the ball more than anybody. He makes every ball better."
And to Bischoff, who, at 6-feet-4 is also an offensive threat at the net, that trust is mutual.
"The game just flows more smoothly when you can count on everyone," Bischoff said. "I know I can set Kyler, a right-side hitter, on match point and he'll put the ball away. We can trust our libero Ryan Condon and DS Bill Dedmond to pick it up, and I know that no matter where I set them, the middle hitters, Will Church and Parker Swartz, and outsides, Jackson Nagle and Eric Button and others, will finish the play."
Walking the talk
The smooth-flowing Hilltoppers system also relies on constant communication.
"Communication is essential to what makes or breaks a team," Bischoff said. "Our coach stressed that from Day One. If we're not communicating balls are going to be dropping left and right."
Bischoff has to make sure the team is loud and keeps up a steady stream of talk throughout the match.
"It's important that a defender yells to a hitter whether we're facing a one- or two-man block to give us that split-second advantage," Bischoff said. "And we're constantly reminding each other to not worry about the last missed point but just to focus on the next one.
"And there is the non-verbal communication that we've developed because we know each other so well and we've had so much success."
These intangibles helped create the cohesiveness that powered the Hilltoppers' march through to the state championship with a 40-2 record.
"It was surreal," Bischoff said. "This means so much for all of us who worked so hard in practice and in matches. It's such an emotional experience."
And not to be underestimated is the volleyball IQ and the athletic ability of everyone on the team. It's a fundamentally sound squad of quick and savvy athletes who can jump, hit, dive, react instantaneously and act as one on the court.
The success the Hilltoppers have had the past two years (they finished third at state in 2014), according to Giunta-Mayer, begins with Bischoff.
"Paulie is all about the team," Giunta-Mayer said. "He's the quarterback on the court. He sees what's going on all the time. He makes quick decisions and brings everyone into the game. His mind is working so fast and that's why all the guys can make those split-second decisions at the net."
And she goes on about her star setter.
"Who do I want to touch the ball the most? It's Paulie," the coach said. "He betters every ball, can make a bad pass look good and he never gives up."
A natural athlete
Giunta-Mayer points out how athletic Bischoff is and maintains that he would have excelled in whichever sport he chose as his specialty.
Bischoff played basketball for five years and also some baseball and football. He was a top-flight lacrosse player before coming to Glenbard West.
"I was a captain and leading scorer on the lacrosse team," Bischoff said. "And I probably would have done that in high school if Christine and Kyler hadn't introduced me to volleyball in middle school. "
He knew very soon that volleyball was his passion.
"I love playing a key role as a setter," Bischoff said. "It helps my mindset knowing I'm making an impact on the court. I really get a sense of helping the team move forward. It's especially exciting because of the fast offense we run."
Kotsakis also addressed Bischoff's athletic prowess.
"He could play any position in volleyball," Kotsakis said. "In fact he plays other positions in practice and he's good. But setter is the perfect spot for him because he's smart and he's selfless. He just cares about the team, which is what makes him so competitive. He pushes everybody else to play their best. Paul is so calm on the court. We all know that with him in the game we can always win."
Bischoff also takes his academics very seriously.
He carries a 5.3 GPA, he's on the high honor roll and a member of the National Honor Society and he won a Gold Bar Academic Award at Glenbard West.
Last year he was named an Academic All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
"I'm very proud of that," he said. "I'm happy that I can continue to do well in the classroom despite my crowded schedule."
Bischoff is high on the Hilltoppers repeating as state champs next year. He and Kotsakis return for their senior year along with Church and Dedmond, other varsity returners and the products from an undefeated JV team.
"We graduate a lot of talent from this year's team," he said. "But we have a nucleus of guys who worked together for a state championship team. And we're looking forward to adapting to the new players moving up."