Lauren Tonner leads Deerfield program

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Deerfield volleyball coach Eugene Chung raves about senior middle blocker Lauren Tonner’s on-court performance.

But Chung saves his biggest plaudits for Tonner’s contributions off the court as one of the Warriors’ captains.

“Lauren took a major role in the offseason,” Chung said. “She helped monitor the workouts to help build camaraderie and train our future leaders.”

“She is always willing to take the time out of her day for her teammates,” Warriors libero and co-captain Kaetlin Vivacue said. “There’s [the] big sister/little sister [program] and staying after practice to decorate for games.”

Tonner and Vivacue also plan dress-up days, including pajama day and a “red out” for this week’s matches.

Being a volleyball mentor isn’t the only way in which Tonner is unique. She is also a quadruplet with sister Colette and brother’s Nick and Graham.

“It’s a different experience. Really cool,” Lauren Tonner said. “I might only see them for a couple of minutes [at school], but we’re all pretty social, very close with each other.”

Colette Tonner is on the Warriors’ varsity dance team, while Nick and Graham Tonner play football. Nick Tonner also plays volleyball, and Graham Tonner focuses on the shotput and discus in the spring. Lauren Tonner has an English class with Nick Tonner, and is the youngest of the quartet.

“Hey, it’s only by a couple of minutes,” she chuckled.

On the court, Lauren Tonner has helped the Warriors to a 7-7 record to start the season after they won only four matches last season. Deerfield showed its mettle last week with victories over Grayslake North and Ridgewood. Lauren Tonner is not the tallest middle at 5-foot-10, but she makes up for that in other ways.

“Lauren is definitely making her presence felt along the net,” Chung said. “Her timing and ability to read hitters with a lot of aggressiveness has been a big benefit. She’s putting herself in better position [for blocks]. Her mindset is to get the ball.”

“I’m moving quicker this year and knowing where the ball is going,” Lauren Tonner said. “I’ve also improved my vertical.”

That’s critical, because Lauren Tonner is often up against opposing middles who are three or more inches taller than her.

Lauren Tonner might be most valuable from the serving area. Her 22 aces through 12 matches led the team, and she uses a hard float serve that moves from side to side.

“My serve is a lot stronger,” Lauren Tonner said. “I played club [for Sky High] and it definitely improved.”

And of course she helps out when things aren’t going well on the court.

“When my teammates are down, I try to cheer them up, be supportive and encouraging,” she said. “The young players are stepping up. We know we can beat teams.”

An earlier version of this story misstated Deerfield’s record this season and the number of wins the Warriors had last season.

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