Girls volleyball: Carmel's Tarcha floored 'em
Gymnastics? She started with gymnastics.
"I think that's where I learned to be so calm under pressure," Carmel volleyball player Eileen Tarcha said.
Gymnastics has gone by the wayside. Tarcha found another floor where she could jump and soar.
She played varsity volleyball all four years at Carmel Catholic. She leaves the program as the Corsairs' all-time leader in digs (1,044) and aces (164).
"She's one of the smartest players I've ever coached," Carmel coach Dave Pazely said of his versatile hitter and savvy server. "She makes some of the smartest plays on the court as a result."
Carmel rang up 33 wins and reached the Class 3A Vernon Hills sectional final. Tarcha's all-around performance earned her the title of captain of the Daily Herald Lake County all-area team.
Call it a near-perfect-10 season for the former tumbler.
"After gymnastics, I started playing volleyball and basketball in the fourth grade," Tarcha said. "I liked the aspect of the team sport and how each person had to work together to complete a common goal."
Tarcha stands 5 feet 9 and plays libero during club season. She notched 9 kills in Carmel's season-ending loss to St. Francis in the sectional final.
"Most players who play libero in club don't play outside hitter in high school," Pazely said. "But she moves the ball around to find openings in the defense, and her defensive presence is like having two liberos on the court."
Tarcha began her volleyball career in the fifth grade, then tried club with the Libertyville Juniors. She had the volleyball bug. The Prince of Peace Catholic product joined the Wisconsin Juniors and is still with that program.
In high school, she enjoyed playing with some "amazing seniors" her freshman season. What she learned about leadership that year helped her this season. For the second year in a row, she earned all-area and all-East Suburban Catholic Conference honors.
"Personally, I think I played my best this season," Tarcha said. "I don't think any of my accomplishments would have been possible without the team. I was really able to step up and be a leader for all my teammates to turn to. Besides the talent we had and the wins we got, I think we all had so much fun playing together."
"Add in her volleyball IQ and we have a player/coach making in-game adjustments," Pazely said. "She is a very effective leader. And she keeps her team focused and motivated, which contributed to the great regular season we had this year. We are going to miss her next fall."
Tarcha hasn't decided whether she will play college volleyball, but her future is bright.
"I'm not sure what I'm doing for college," she said. "I want to find a school that will be a perfect fit for me. If it ends up being somewhere for volleyball, that would be amazing. But if not, I will definitely do something with volleyball in the future."