Block party: Chatham Glenwood volleyball stuffs the net thanks to this senior hitter
Natalie Alexander is fast, and she can jump.
It’s hardly any wonder that she runs the 300-meter hurdles for track and field.
In May, the Chatham Glenwood senior ascended to the Class 3A state finals in Charleston and earned 18th place overall.
She also dominates the net with a 30-inch vertical on the Titans’ volleyball team.
“She is a track star who plays volleyball,” Glenwood coach Alison Dyer said, “so we throw the ball up and she can pretty much put it down wherever because she's so high above the block that she can see where the open spot is on the other side of the court.”
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Her love of volleyball trumps all else, though, as she will resume her career at Parkland College after high school. The Cobras have won four NJCAA national volleyball titles over their decorated history.
It’s a testament to her unflagging commitment to the game. Alexander said she could barely jump off the floor before enhancing her vertical to 23 inches by freshman year.
“I feel that putting in my 100% every single time I step into the weight room has just been able to help tremendously — also with coach (Caleb) Cox helping us out, too.”
Trio of blockers
Alexander is among a few superlative blockers for the red and white.
That formidable front row also includes 6-foot freshman Alexis Neumann and 5-10 sophomore Mya Marshall. Neumann led the Titans ahead of the conference finale against Decatur Eisenhower with 60 blocks, followed by Alexander and Marshall with 51 apiece.
The team has far surpassed its 108 total blocks from last year.
“She's definitely a role model for me,” Neumann said of Alexander. "She's able to teach me things I don't know and correct my mistakes.”
Neumann, who also leads the team with 231 kills, hails from a vaunted freshman class that won the Illinois Elementary School Association Class 4A 8th grade title in March with a 30-0 record.
“I feel like she's just a really big joy to have on the team,” Alexander said of Neumann. “And especially being a freshman, you cannot tell when you're playing with her or you're playing against her. She just does not let other people know, and she goes out there with confidence and you can tell.”
Talented freshmen
Other major freshman contributors include setter Mo Wiezorek and libero Reagan Littrell. The former paces the offense with 476 assists while the latter has 265 digs ahead of the final week of the regular season.
“We were extremely excited because we knew that with them, we would be a great team,” Alexander said.
That optimism has not been misplaced.
The Titans (23-6 overall, 6-2 Central State Eight) reeled off their 10th straight win with a 25-11, 25-16 victory over Southeast at Herb Scheffler Gymnasium last week and begin the Class 3A Decatur Eisenhower Regional semifinals as the No. 1 seed on Oct. 24.
Neumann, Marshall and Alexander combined for 16 kills and six blocks in the win.
Making the newcomers immediately feel welcomed was Alexander’s top priority.
“Especially with the new coaching staff (with Dyer taking the reins last year), we've been able to just work through it and be able to come together as a team more this year,” Alexander said. “I feel like as seniors, we try really hard to make sure they know that we see them as equals to us on the court. And we don't think that we're better than them just because we're older. I feel like that's really important.”
Dyer said everyone’s just doing their part.
“The seniors have done a really good job of making sure that we all click together and that we know that they're there for us anytime,” Neumann said.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: IHSA volleyball: Glenwood leaps into playoffs with Natalie Alexander
