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St. Francis picks familiar face to replace Kopec

Following Peg Kopec's mountainous achievements and awesome stature as St. Francis' girls volleyball coach might be an intimidating proposal for any successor.

That won't be the case with Lisa Ston, who on Tuesday was announced by St. Francis athletic director Dan Hardwick as the Spartans' new varsity coach.

A 16-year assistant for Kopec - a member of state and national halls of fame who announced her retirement Nov. 14, 2015, immediately following the Spartans' fourth straight state championship and 12th overall - Ston has been a part of eight of those titles.

"I'm just very excited," said Ston, a St. Louis native who was an All-America volleyball player her senior year at Dominican University in River Forest. A mother of three, she is married to 1993 Wheaton Warrenville South graduate Steven Ston (pronounced "Stone") and resides in Winfield.

"It's an exciting place to step into, to take over a program that's had so much success, and to have the team building and traditions St. Francis has I think is very special," Ston said. "I'm just very honored to have coached with someone like Peg ... I consider her a mentor and I consider her a very good friend."

Lisa Ston checks all requisite boxes in the St. Francis volleyball resume. A former high school and club player in St. Louis, team captain and MVP her last two years at Dominican, before arriving at St. Francis she also served as an assistant at her prep alma mater, Incarnate Word Academy, and as a head coach at Sports Performance in West Chicago.

Once with the Spartans, Ston coached both boys and girls on several levels and, importantly to the varsity girls spot, coached summer camps, led daily drills, designed offensive systems and helped construct practice plans in addition to either encouraging or helping create the many team-building traditions integral to Kopec's program.

Kopec said she "could not be happier in her selection."

"The girls in the program are very blessed to have her as a coach because she puts their needs first at all times," said Kopec, whose 1,238 victories over 40 years top all Illinois High School Association coaches in any sport.

"Her personality is very giving, she's a bright, generous young woman. St. Francis is very fortunate to have her continue in the program," Kopec said.

A St. Francis math teacher and "very good critical thinker," Kopec said, Ston will still have a Kopec alongside her - Erin Kopec Tuttle, Peg's daughter, who will serve as a varsity assistant with veteran volunteer assistant Dave Boze.

"I am more of the strategy, numbers-type personality," Ston said. "Her daughter is very much like her, so I think we will have a very similar connection that Peg and I did."

That may again spell trouble for the rest of the state and comfort for the St. Francis players.

"They do already know me and my style, they kind of already know what my expectations are. That's pretty nice," Ston said.

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