Cary-Grove grad Bartczyszyn bounces back in a big way

Former former Cary-Grove volleyball standout Jess Bartczyszyn has found plenty of light at the end of the comeback tunnel.

Bartczyszyn, a former Daily Herald All-Area setter, has rebounded from a spiral hand fracture to become one of the most statistically proficient setters as a redshirt junior at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.

Through early week, she ranked sixth among NCAA Division I setters in total assists with 438 in 45 sets for the Ragin Cajuns.

"It's the same team, but the biggest difference is the team put in a lot of time working together," she said. "We worked with weights and the hitters came in every day. My relationship with the hitters has improved a lot. I understand what they need and we've improved together because of all the time we put in."

As a result of that off-season work Bartczyszyn said she has more confidence on the court. "I'm feeding them without second-guessing myself. I know every hitter is different and I trust myself when I put the ball up there for them. I have 100 percent trust in our hitters."

But she readily admits those lofty assists totals wouldn't be possible without her teammates. "It's all the hitters. They do a great job of putting the ball away and making the most of situations. I do what I need to do, but I have to give them most of the credit," she said.

In addition to Bartczyszyn's national ranking, teammate Stacey Reilly is tied for 23rd in the country in total kills with 155, while Chanelle Gardner ranks in the Top 60 in the country in hitting percentage at .380.

This prosperity is a complete 360-degree turnaround for the Cary-Grove product after she broke her hand in three places midway through last season. This came on the heels of her missing her true freshman season due to a concussion.

"I'm super happy to be on the court right now and to have the ability to take advantage of this opportunity," said Bartczyszyn. "Being injured was really tough, especially after all the work I had put in. It inspired me to take advantage of every moment. I know I only have two more years left. It's made me buckle down."

The injury, she said, was tough from a mental standpoint, especially when she was starting to hit her stride as a collegiate setter.

"It was very difficult," said Bartczyszyn. "I had it taken away from me. Setting has so much to do with your hands and because of that it was a mental hurdle to get back."

Bartczyszyn had a plate and eight screws inserted into her hand. "Setting that first ball after surgery, I was so nervous. What was it going to feel like?" she said. "My coaches helped me so much and supported me through everything."

Bartczyszyn will graduate in the spring with a degree in English and would like to be a teacher. She still will have one more season of eligibility left at Lafayette.

Bartczyszyn also took time to reflect on the recent flooding that affected parts of Louisiana. "We had one girl on the team whose family was affected by the floods," she said. "It was a scary time. I have never been that close to a disaster before. But this community here rallied around each other and rallied for each other like I have never seen before. It was amazing."

Stuenkel honored: St. Charles North product Karly Stuenkel recently was honored by the Big Ten Conference as women's soccer offensive player of the week. Stuenkel earned the honor after strong performances in a pair of University of Iowa wins.

The junior midfielder scored 2 goals during Iowa's 4-1 win against Colorado State. A day later, Stuenkel scored what proved to be the game-winning goal and assisted on the team's third goal in Iowa's 5-1 win over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. Stuenkel's goal and assist occurred in the first 15 minutes of the contest.

Through 6 games, Stuenkel has 4 goals (tied for the team lead) and is the team leader in assists with three. Iowa was 5-1-0 through its first six matches.

Kofie at Western Michigan: Former Daily Herald All-Area girls' volleyball captain Olivia Kofie, a Larkin product, is now a junior middle blocker on the Western Michigan women's volleyball team.

Earlier this week, Kofie ranked second on the team in kills (115, 2.88 per set) and points (134.5), as well as blocks (21.0). She had seven games where she registered 10 or ore kills, including an impressive 21-kill performance on 47 swings (. 383 hitting) against Xavier.

O'Reilly at Austin Peay: And speaking of former Daily Herald All-Area girls' volleyball captains, Burlington Central product Allie O'Reilly is now playing at Austin Peay. She was able to play right away after transferring from UIC as a junior.

Through 11 matches, O'Reilly has played in 35 sets so far and has registered 92 digs for an Austin Peay team that was 5-6 overall.

Hess at Marquette: Batavia graduate Emily Hess is now a member of the Marquette women's soccer team. She recently assisted on a second-half goal in the team's 1-1 tie against Santa Clara. The assist came off a set piece opportunity in the 64th minute. Hess, a previous Big East Conference freshman of the week recipient, had a goal and an assist in 5 games (4 starts) as of earlier this week.

Ehrhardt at UIC: Jacobs alum Alyssa Ehrhardt, another former Daily Herald All-Area girls' volleyball captain, is the leading hitter on the undefeated UIC women's volleyball team (10-0 through Wednesday). Through 10 matches, Ehrhardt was averaging 3.88 kills per set (team-high 159 kills) and was hitting .260. She also was averaging 4.4 points per set and 2.24 digs per set for the Flames. Last year, Ehrhardt averaged 2.62 kills per set.

Off at College wants your help: Send information and/or statistics on Fox Valley-area athletes playing collegiately to Mike Miazga at mjm890@gmail.com.