Girls volleyball: Hersey's Kaburov finds a Boston connection
Kati Kaburov quickly became one of the top Mid-Suburban League volleyball players.
Only a sophomore, last year she was named the MSL East's player of the year.
Just as quickly, she has already made her college commitment.
The 5-foot-10 outside hitter has verbally committed to Boston College.
"I was first attracted to Boston College because of its strong academic reputation and research programs," she said. "l'm interested in fields involving research, but I haven't determined yet whether I'll focus on research in biology and biomedical sciences or political science."
If you do some research in Hersey volleyball history, you'll find a former standout setter from the school, Jessica Brizzolara, also played the sport on the Boston College campus.
"I was also drawn to Boston College because I'd like to play in one of the most competitive conferences that I can, Kaburov said. "I have always kept my eye on schools in the ACC."
Everything came together when Kaburov met with BC head coach Marissa Prinzbach and assistant Jason Kennedy.
"Coach Marissa was really easy to talk to and I could tell she loved being at Boston College," Kaburov said. "So when she asked if I'd like to make an unofficial visit I didn't waste any time asking my parents how quickly we could make that happen."
Upon arriving on campus, Kaburov learned all about what it meant to play the sport at Boston College.
"They explained how important it was to build the right culture and we talked about the way practice will be structured," she said. "They spoke of the expectations they will have of players and the importance of being a good teammate and it was like they knew exactly what I was looking for when I imagined what kind of collegiate experience I wanted.
"While every player wants to be a part of a winning team, I will also be part of a team rebuilding the program at Boston College under the guidance of a coach who has spent several years coaching one of the most successful teams in the country and that is something you can't see on the scoreboard."
Kaburov spent the next day thinking about her discussions as she explored the campus and the city of Boston.
"All the students were really friendly and the energy on campus gave off a great vibe," she said. "Plus, the entire campus is beautiful and the city of Boston has so much to offer. It's loaded with opportunities for internships. I realized on my way home that this is a place where I could develop into the best player and person I could hope to be and still pursue my interest in research."
Kaburov said playing volleyball in college didn't become an actual goal until one of the referees she had during a match in middle school suggested she had the potential to play in college.
"She said that I should start thinking about what kind of school I'd like to attend if it was something I was interested in pursuing," Kaburov said. "She played D-I herself and had three daughters who played volleyball in college and that conversation kick started my dream."
During her freshman year of high school, Kaburov started talking to several recruiters.
"Last summer I attended camps at two Big 10 universities and at one school in the ACC," she said "I had a great experience at one of the camps and knew I wanted to play volleyball in college after finishing that camp."
Kaburov used to play travel soccer when she was younger.
"It was fun until I started playing goalie," she said. "I was tall so it made sense but I became bored and my mom suggested that I try volleyball."
What a terrific suggestion that turned out to be.
"Volleyball is chaotic and fast which makes it fun and cheering for each other after each play felt good so I gave up soccer for volleyball," Kaburov said. "I have had so many good people inspire me along the way. Mrs. (Joanie) Fesl told me that there would be bumps in the road. But she said it was a journey that I should enjoy and to not let the occasional speed bump slow me down. Hearing that made a big difference in how I began to pursue my dream.
"The coaches at Adversity VBC have also been supportive and helped inspire me to continue improving my skills with the goal of playing in college."
Kaburov's mother began driving Kati to lessons at Adversity a couple of years ago.
"They have been helping me ever since," she said. "I always leave feeling like a better player after each lesson than when I arrived. Even when I was sore from practicing three nights a week, I still trained with them once or twice a week.
"Coach Ben (Formica) would change up our sessions to focus on serving skills or pull out the whiteboard and talk strategy with me. Kyle Masterson introduced me to weights and pushes me to improve. That sometimes means learning a new way to swing at the ball and it ends up taking an extra hour to incorporate the adjustment or by secretly adding more weight on the bar."
Kaburov said Masterson also helped her identify her strengths as an all-around player and how to recognize collegiate programs that would be a good fit.
"That made the recruiting process less intimidating because I knew what the schools had to offer," Kaburov said. "Coach Melissa Vandrey-Masterson was an outside hitter at the University of Illinois and has spent so much time encouraging me and teaching me how to improve my swing and play smarter."
Kaburov says she has been 'super lucky' to play for Hersey coach Nancy Lill.
"I'll never forget my first varsity game my freshman year," Kaburov said. "I was in the back row and I shanked a ball. I walked to the side of the court because I assumed I would be taken out of rotation for the error and she looked at me with a smile and said, 'What are you doing? You are going to get the next one but you can't do that if you come off the court.' Talk about inspiring."
And guess what?
Kaburov calmly passed up the next few balls and ended up having a terrific first game all because Lill provided the eager rookie confidence to stay on the court and work through her mistakes.
"She is passionate about the game and yet she doesn't yell at players," Kaburov said. "And I love when she straight up tells us what to fix and when we play well, she is right there courtside cheering us on. Supportive teammates have a big impact as well and sometimes a kind word is all that is needed to refocus and inspire each other to play well."
Kaburov knows she will miss her days at Hersey upon graduation in two years.
"Part of me can't wait to be on campus and start playing with my future teammates," she said. "But the other part of me is happy to be playing with the girls on my club team and to have two more years at Hersey with coach Lill and my high school teammates.'
"I really do feel blessed to have committed to play volleyball at Boston College. It's a great school, with great coaches, a great city, competitive conference, friendly students and the opportunity to study what I love. Maybe Boston could use a few more days of temperatures above 70 degrees but luckily that is the one thing I was willing to compromise on."
Kaburov led Hersey with more than 320 kills last fall.
"Katie is such a dominant player for us," Lill said after the season. "Teams cannot escape her impact. She hammers kills in the front row, serves teams off the floor and comes up with great saves in the back row. It is unbelievable all that Katie has accomplished at Hersey at such a young age. She is only halfway though her high school career. It will be great to have her back for two more seasons."
Softball
Illinois Wesleyan senior Julie Josten (Fremd), a first team all-conference selection, had a big weekend when the Titans won four straight games to move onto the NCAA Division II regionals.
She hit a key 3-run homer in the game against Carroll College and then had the game-winning RBI when the Titans again defeated Carroll 7-4 for the championship.
With her team trailing 4-3, Josten belted a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning.
• Wisconsin-Whitewater junior Julia Camardo (Buffalo Grove) was named to the first team of the Google Cloud Academic All-District by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Camardo was one of three pitchers on the first team in District 6, which includes institutions from Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. She carries a cumulative grade-point average of 3.63 on a 4.0 scale and is majoring in psychology.
With her All-District selection, Camardo is now eligible for Academic All-America® accolades.
Camardo, the 2018 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year and a first team all-conference honoree, helped the Warhawks sweep the WIAC regular season and tournament championships and reach the NCAA Division III Tournament for the sixth straight season.
A two-time WIAC Pitcher of the Week during the regular season, Camardo owns 102 strikeouts in 103⅓ innings pitched this season.
• Wisconsin junior outfielder Caitlin Catino (Buffalo Grove) was named to the all-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for the second straight time and is a three-time all-conference pick. Catino is among WIAC leaders in doubles (11), triples (4), walks (14) and stolen bases (16). She enters Friday's game with a .337 batting average with 26 runs scored and 13 RBI.
• North Central freshman pitcher Sam Gadomski (Conant) appeared in 20 games this spring, starting in 15. On the mound, she posted a 6-2 record with a 2.76 ERA, striking out 29 batters in more than 38 innings.
Basketball
Rolling Meadows all-area guard Gio Carrillo has committed to play at Carroll College in Wisconsin.
Carrillo averaged 12 points and 5 assists. He had games of 30 and 28 points late last winter.
"Gio has really stepped up his game during the second part of our season," said Rolling Meadows coach Kevin Katovich last March. "He is a terrific captain and role model for his teammates and for the entire Mustang program. He really doesn't care who gets the credit as long as we win. He has done everything we have asked of him this season."
Women's rowing
Buffalo Grove High School graduate Mia Inman represented Michigan State on Sunday at the 2018 Big 10 Women's Rowing championships at Eagle Creek Municipal Park outside Indianapolis, Ind.
She competed in the 1v4 (the No. 1 four-person varsity boat).
Inman ran cross country and track while at Buffalo Grove High School, where she graduated in 2015.
Now a collegiate senior, she is walk-on for the Spartans. She had no previous on-the-water rowing experience but had logged plenty of meters on the indoor rower at Elite Athletic Development at CrossFit Arlington Heights.
A biological sciences major, honor's college student and member of the prestigious Bailey Scholar program, Inman was also named to the MSU dean's list for receiving a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.
Women's lacrosse
Illinois Wesleyan junior Dani Engelbreit (Conant) had 6 points and 9 draws controls as the Titans (16-3) earned their first NCAA tournament victory with an 18-8 victory over Hamline University. This is the team's second overall trip to the Division III championships in the program's four-year history.
• North Central freshman Emily Kossack (Schaumburg) played in 18 games, starting 14. She totaled 10 ground balls and caused six turnovers while playing defense. The Cardinals set a program record for single-season goals, shot attempts, ground balls, draw controls, and wins, while advancing to the CCIW Championship game.
North Central sophomore Nelle Scranton (Fremd) played in all 19 games, starting 16. She totaled 29 goals, 10 assists, 23 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers and scored a season-high 3 goals on three games.
NIU honors Peterson
Northern Illinois' baseball program will permanently retire the jersey of Fritz Peterson (Arlington High School), the school's most-accomplished former baseball student-athlete who went on to become one of the premiere left-handers in an 11-year major-league career. NIU Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics Sean T. Frazier and baseball coach Mike Kunigonis made the announcement.
Peterson lettered in baseball at NIU in 1962 and 1963. He compiled an 8-2 mark with a 2.45 earned run average and 91 strikeouts (in 91⅔ innings pitched) as a junior in 1963 and was named team Most Valuable Player, first-team All-Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and All-Midwest.
He earned a bachelor's (1965) and master's (1967) degree from NIU.
During his career with the New York Yankees, he resided in DeKalb in the off-season and did color commentary for men's basketball games on the Huskie Radio Network. He was inducted into the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1987 and was born on the same day, Feb. 8, 1942, as fellow hall of famer George Bork. The duo played baseball together on the Mt. Prospect Little League All-Stars in 1954.
Because Peterson wore multiple numbers in his two seasons as a Huskie, NIU will retire the jersey he treasures from his career in pinstripes where he was teammates with legendary players like Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Whitey Ford and Elston Howard.
Baseball
Oakton College first baseman Dan Sullivan (St. Viator) registered 9 RBI (including 2 homers) in a twin bill sweep of Illinois Valley Community College (9-1 and 13-4) on its home field in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region IV sectionals.
Men's golf
Oakton College's Stephen Bukielski (Schaumburg) is 2-for-2 when it comes to qualifying for one of the biggest stages for college golf.
Bukielski will be competing at the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II championship May 21-24 at the Glenlakes Golf Club in Foley, Ala.
Last year at nationals, he placed 77th out of 143 golfers in Mesa, Ariz.
"Competing at nationals last year was jittery for me," Bukielski says. "Now that I've already competed at such a high level, I'll be less stressed and able to take my game up a notch."
Bukielski will be contending against more than 100 junior college golfers from around the nation at the par-72, 6,912-yard golf course that features strategic mounding, extensive bunkering and rippling fairways and greens.
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