Need a "Gym Dandy" to the rescue? These girls are it

Prepvolleyball.com recently announced its 2009 “Gym Dandies,” full-time, high school and club backrow players who project as defensive standouts at the next level. The list is presented as five teams of 13 players with the rest receiving honorable mention recognition.

Players were nominated by high school coaches and club directors. The only limitation was the player had to be generally considered among the best five defensive players in her state regardless of class year or school classification.

Players named to the “Gym Dandies” list from Illinois include Grace Bonoma, a senior from St. Ignatius; Julie Jeziorowski, a senior from Crystal Lake Central; Caroline Niedospial, a junior from Marist; and Brianne Riley, a senior from Benet Academy. All four were second-team selections.

Bonoma is the only libero in the history of the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference to receive Player of the Year honors. She set a school single-season record with 525 digs in 2009. Bonoma was named to the All-Area First Team by the Sun-Times and is committed to Saint Louis University.

Jeziorowski, a Marquette recruit, had 589 digs and passed with 94.2 percent accuracy in 2009 to help lead her Crystal Lake Central team to the state Class 3A quarterfinals. She was named “Best Passer” in the 18s division at the 2009 PrepVolleyball.com Classic.

Niedospial will team with Molly Murphy next year to give Marist one of the best backrows in the state. Headed to Northwestern in the fall of 2011, she has been voted the team’s MVP the last two years. Niedospial finished the 2009 campaign with 618 digs.

Riley, who will join Amy and Kara Wehrs at Kansas in the fall, helped lead Benet to a 35-5 record in 2009 and was named All-Area First Team by the Sun-Times. Characterized as “a fierce and passionate competitor,” Riley simply hated to lose.

Other selections to the “Gym Dandies” team were: sophomore Bridget Powell of Mother McAuley, a fourth-team choice; and honorable mention selections Amy Choi of Vernon Hills, sophomore Amy Dion of Huntley, and senior Stephanie Keca of Joliet Catholic.

Also earning honorable mention honors were Jamie Lundstrom of Lyons, junior Molly Murphy of Marist, freshman Kristen Webb of Libertyville, Danielle Donahue of Lockport, Becky Haraf of Hersey, and sophomores Megan Miller of Lyons and Maisey Mulvey of St. Charles East.

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Joliet Catholic senior Alyssa Warren was named to the USA Volleyball High Performance National A2 Team. The roster will be posted on the USA Volleyball High Performance web site around May 25th, pending the results of the final cut of the A1 National Team.

The A2 team will compete in an international competition at Chula Vista in the Wisconsin Dells on July 20-30. The competition will include teams from other countries.

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Marist’s senior rightside hitter Bridget Sheerin recently committed to Mercer University, a Division I school in Macon, Ga. Sheerin received a full scholarship to attend Mercer, where she will join former Geneva star Rachel Urbelis, a 6-foot-1 junior outside.