Richards senior Abby Buchanan-Kenzinger has a huge amount of talent as a power hitter and effective server.
She also has a large amount of pride.
When word came down that Tinley Park was seeded two spots higher than the Bulldogs in the Class 3A Hinsdale South Sectional, Buchanan-Kenzinger took it to heart.
She also took it to the Titans during an Oct. 18 match with seven kills, five digs and four aces.
“There was a little motivation going on,” Buchanan-Kenzinger said. “Oh yeah, for sure. When we saw the seedings come out, we wanted to prove we deserved the higher spot.”
It didn’t change the seeding, but Richards did gain some satisfaction by beating Tinley Park 25-15, 25-21.
Buchanan-Kenzinger has been a leader for the Bulldogs (15-17) in what, for her, has been a game-changing season.
After three seasons at middle hitter, Buchanan-Kenzinger moved to the outside and then to the right for first-year coach Nick Costa.
“The colleges who were reaching out to her said they were viewing her more as a pin,” Costa said. “So, we started using her there, and she has done a really good job.”
For the season, Buchanan-Kenzinger has 133 kills, 37 aces, 135 digs and 22 blocks.
“I love it,” Buchanan-Kenzinger said. “The coaches have been amazing in helping me get over the learning curve. We just took it one practice at a time and I embraced it.”
She also has embraced the role of team motivator.
In the match against Tinley Park, Richards trailed 20-18 in Game 2. After a timeout, the Bulldogs took to the court and Buchanan-Kenzinger had a big smile, making eye contact with everyone around her.
Richards went on to score seven of the last eight points to close out the match.
“Abby has been a big rock for us energy wise,” Costa said. “She is the first person who goes up to somebody and congratulates them.
“I call her a spark plug. If she does something, everyone rallies around her. And she is always the first one to hug someone when they do something the right way.”
Special send off: Former Lincoln-Way East coach Linda Vivona was honored during a ceremony before an Oct. 21 match against Sandburg.
Vivona will retire in May from teaching. Her last season coaching at East was in 2015.
During a 33-year career, Vivona coached at Lourdes, Queen of Peace, Lincoln-Way and Lincoln-Way East. In 1995, her Queen of Peace team finished fourth in Class AA. She finished with 765 victories.
“When I was a youngster, my father (Bud) was a Pop Warner football coach,” Vivona said. “I would watch him and I’d be like, ‘I’m going to do that. He’s got them fired up, chanting and high-fiving. I want to do that.’
“I followed that calling, and I just figured the natural complement to high school coaching is teaching. It worked out, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Ace moment: Sandburg setter Bianca May missed her senior season because of a knee injury. The Illinois recruit, however, did have a moment to remember on senior night.
During an Oct. 5 match against Homewood-Flossmoor, May was announced as a starter. She was the first to serve, sending a shot over the net that dropped in for an ace.
Give a big assist to H-F coach Bob St. Leger, a Sandburg graduate.
“When I talked to Bob, I said, ‘Whatever you need coach, let’s make this happen,'” Vales said. “He said, ‘OK, I’ll send my girls out and let the ball hit the floor so she can end with an ace.’ Then we kind of did a side out so they could get the ball back.
“It was an opportunity to put that jersey on one more time and be announced as a starter in her senior year. Being a four-year varsity player, she deserved that moment.”
A video of the serve has exceeded 100,000 views on Instagram.
“It was super special,” May said. “It was filled with a lot of emotion. I was looking forward to it for a while. It’s a really happy memory for me to go out that way after four years in that gym.”
