Notes & Photos: Vernon Hills - Saint Viator Sectional Volleyball Final
The Cougars wrapped up the most successful season in program history with a loss to Saint Viator.
Throughout this fall season, the sustained success of Vernon Hills volleyball was something I took a continued interest in.
I covered Wednesday’s Class 3A Sectional title match between, the Cougars and Saint Viator I covered the event for Journal & Topics Media Group, but also spoke with coach Chris Curry and senior Sonia Bondar.
Curry, who has coached the girls program the last 3 years, has taken the team from 12 wins in his first season to 32 in his third, wishes his girls made it to Redbird Arena in Normal. He made a 2014 state championship match and final four in 2010 as the boys coach for the Cougars. Abbie Gutzmer, who was the coach from 2007-2013 and had led the Cougars to 2 regional titles, is on the current staff.
“I wish they had the opportunity to go experience state,” Curry said. “The boys have done it. The girls have never done it. We know how fun it is.”
While Wednesday’s loss wasn’t what the Cougars were looking for, Curry thinks his team has shown a younger generation something worthwhile.
“The wins, mostly showing the younger kids in the girls program that we can be a good girls volleyball program,” Curry said. “It’s been average for a long time ad there’s been a lot of good players coming through. I look back at our record book and so many good players but we didn’t put it together many times except in the middle of Abbie’s tenure. I want the younger kids to look at this and say we can be a volleyball school. We can do this.”
Elli Amjadi was co-Player Of The year in the CSL North and broke the program record for digs (1,057). She joined Maya Raval, Peyton Self, Alexa Cieslinski (who I did a Q&A with in September) as all-conference honorees. Raquel Ruiz was also the Sportsmanship Award winner.
Bodnar meanwhile, has been a healthy dose of size and power for the Cougars, finding a reprieve from her own world in the volleyball environment the Cougars have together. With volleyball experience back in. Her home country, Bondar took the Cougars aback when she showed up and made her presence felt.
“I went to summer camp and went to tryouts and coach wasn’t expecting me to be a 6-foot lefty,” Bondar said.
As for being in the states, away from a grandmother and other family who she left behind, every day isn’t always a good day.
“Sometimes I do not enjoy it, but volleyball brought me joy here,” Bondar said. “It was one of the things I was happy to do.”
A Ukrainian refugee who was forced to leave family behind at the onset of war with Russia, Bondar has found a place with this team.
(Ill Prep Volleyball wrote about the same topic, as did Darren Day)
“Not great circumstances to have to leave your home and grandmother behind and worry about her every day and then move with relatives to Berlin and then move here where you don’t know anybody,” Curry said. “She talked about joining a group of kids who already know each other and that’s tough. She did a really really great job because I know her mind is elsewhere sometimes and understandably but she gave everything she had to it.”
“She has been so stoic and so good and she talked about it in our huddle at the regional. Play with joy, because this is what gives me joy is watching you all play and have fun. It’s a healthy dose of perspective for other kids. You think you’re having a bad day? Are you 8,000 miles from a home that may not still exist, your school may not still exist. Nonono you’re not, you’re playing volleyball, relax.”
