CHANEY IN COMMAND
Sophomore outside hitter ‘as physically powerful as any player we’ve ever had’ at state power Marist
One day, Marist sophomore Kamryn Chaney would love to be called the best girls volleyball player in the Southland.
But she’s the first to say that she isn’t there yet.
“Oh, no, I have a lot of work to do,” Chaney said. “I look at film all the time and I always take notes. They are always improvements and things I can fix.”
She has some pretty strong ideas on how to reach her goal.
“Honestly, it’s doing little things,” Chaney said. “It’s going in before practice to get reps in. Those extra 10 minutes after weight lifting. Outside training.
“It’s just all of the little stuff you’re going to do outside of practice that puts you above average players.”
Chaney has a great source for advice — former teammate and two-time Daily Southtown Player of the Year Camryn Hannah.
“We’ve had plenty of FaceTime calls,” Chaney said. “I think of her as my big sister. She would tell me tips. She was my guidance throughout the school.
“I looked for consistency, and she has that. I looked for leadership, and she is a great leader. I’m probably going to visit her at Clemson. She’s a well-rounded player and I really look up to her.”
Chaney has another attribute that should take her a long way — humility.
When told that RedHawks coach Jordan Vidovic said “she’s as physically powerful as any player we’ve ever had,” Chaney smiled and began to blush.
“Wow,” Chaney said. “That is very ... wow. I’m honored to hear that. All the hard work of these amazing athletes I’m surrounded by, to just be recognized like
that, it’s really an honor.”
And there is so much time left to grow. Chaney, a 6-foot outside hitter, emerged at the midpoint of the 2019 season. She started the year on the sophomore team and saw her first significant court time playing right-side hitter at the ASICS Challenge.
First impressions? Chaney swung hard. Most of her kills made quite an impression. In a Class 4A supersectional win over Sandburg, she was one of the stars with eight kills and two blocks.
Vidovic laughed after the Sandburg match when asked what convinced him to bring her up to the varsity at midseason.
“Why?” Vidovic said. “Because she can do that.”
During the 4A third-place match against Fremd, Chaney put down six kills. One of them broke a 20-20 tie in Game 3. The RedHawks won 25-20.
“That felt fantastic,” Chaney said. “I was so full of energy. Being at state was great because not a lot of people can experience that at my age.
“Those seniors from last year really motivated me. They had a real impact on my play. I’m hoping I can translate the same thing, and have the same impact, on our program this year.”
Chaney finished the season with 89 kills and 25 blocks in what amounted to a preview of bigger things to come.
Vidovic said he wouldn’t have handled the timeline any other way.
“Coming in as a freshman, she had a lot to learn,” Vidovic said. “Physical, mental, discipline, the structure of the program. We wanted her to get a feel for it at the beginning and get some great experience on our sophomore team, knowing that physically she’d be ready to make an impact for us.
“It all worked really, really well. At the end, she played in the biggest and best games. She was in there putting up big numbers for us. It’s been full tilt this year, with the little things she’s done, to round out her game front to back row.”
And help lead the way for the rest of the RedHawks.
“I’m going to do the best I can,” Chaney said. “I’ll use Kamryn Hannah’s tips. I’ll stay in touch with her. This team is great, and we’re going to do some really good things.”