Lakes graduate Behrendt killin' it for Carthage College
Lakes High School graduate Megan Behrendt is having one heck of a college volleyball send-off.
Behrendt recently was named the 2019 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin player of the year. Behrendt is a senior outside hitter on the Carthage College women's volleyball team.
Behrendt also is playing a key role in Carthage's march through the NCAA Division III tournament. Carthage recently defeated the University of Chicago in 5 sets to advance to the Division III national quarterfinals that started Thursday at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Behrendt, a senior 5-foot-9 outside hitter/defensive specialist, was named to the all-Chicago regional tournament team for her efforts.
Heading into the NCAA quarters, Behrendt, a Lindenhurst native, is leading Carthage with 324 kills (2.95 per set) on 995 swings. She also is second on the team in service aces with 34, and second on the team in digs with 409 (3.72 per set), proving her all-around court skills.
Behrendt also earned a spot on the all-CCIW first team for the second year in a row, and was the MVP of the conference tournament. She also recently learned she has been named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association Midwest regional team. It's her third AVCA Midwest selection.
"I can't believe it," Behrendt said when asked her thoughts on winning the CCIW player of the year award. "I am so honored to be given an award like this. It means so much to me. It means all the hard work and hours of practice and games has paid off. I owe this to everybody from my coaches and my teammates, past and present. They all have pushed me to be the player I am today. Without them, this award is not possible. I have a great setter in Ellie LeCount. We played club volleyball together at Wisconsin Juniors. She puts the ball where I want it to be. Our libero does a great job of getting the ball up to Ellie. Our whole team does a great job of pushing me to be the best I can be."
Behrendt said she ended up with the best of both worlds when Carthage coach Leanne Ulmer recruited both her and LeCount to play at Carthage while both were at the Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin-based club. Behrendt was the captain of the Daily Herald Lake County All-Area team in 2015.
"One of the reasons I picked Carthage was because it was so close to home," she said. "My whole family can come up and visit and they go to all the games. Carthage has been great. I am getting a great education and making connections, and I am part of a competitive athletic program and a volleyball program that is fantastic."
Behrendt is studying public relations at Carthage with a minor in business administration. She received some good academic news as well recently. Behrendt was named to the 2019 CoSIDA academic all-district VI team.
"After college, it's kind of up in the air right now," she explained. "I'm either going to go for a graduate assistant doing volleyball to get my master's in sports management and administration or I'm going to try and enter the job market and do something sports-related with like the (Chicago) Cubs, (Milwaukee) Brewers or (Milwaukee Bucks). That's my ultimate goal. I love to see the behind-the-scenes stuff with sports. I've played sports since I was a kid, and I would like to take my experience on the court to behind the court and be part of something like that with a team."
Looking back on her run at Carthage, Behrendt still hasn't fully wrapped her hands around all she's accomplished.
"If you told a 12-year-old me everything that I would go on to accomplish, I probably wouldn't believe you," she said. "I started out playing soccer. I got sick of it and my parents said I should try volleyball. I went to a volleyball camp and fell in love with the sport. I am so grateful for all the opportunities volleyball has presented to me. Every coach, every teammate and every team I have been on has taught me something different, and to be able to play volleyball in college is such a blessing. Sports have been a huge part of my live. Sports made me into the person I am today. Without sports, I don't know what would have happened."
• Off at College wants your help: Send information and/or statistics on Lake County-area athletes playing collegiately to Mike Miazga at mjm890@gmail.com. Fall and winter sports submissions are encouraged.