Happy days for Krasowski
On the court and in video, Sandburg graduate makes DePaul fun to watch.
I’m glad I talked with Rachel Krasowski on Tuesday rather than a couple of days earlier.
Krasowski, a junior volleyball standout at DePaul, was her usual fun-to-talk-to self.
On Sunday, she might have been cranky. She couldn’t finish Saturday’s match against Saint Louis because she got hurt in the third game.
“Me and my teammate were going for the same ball when we accidentally collided,” Krasowski said. “Her bony knee hit my quad. It wasn’t very comfortable and bruised up a bit.
“I’m back practicing and icing it up, getting ready for the Chicago Cup this weekend. I should be good.”
That’s great news for DePaul.
Krasowski, a 5-foot-3 libero, is the team’s runaway leader in digs. She’s also their spirited leader on the court, someone Blue Demons coach Marie Zidek looks to for a splash of positivity as well as a big play.
She would have been tough to lose.
“Rachel can hold a really high end in her game and her intensity,” Zidek said. “But she is also someone who can crack a joke and keep things light. When you can balance those things, it garners you a lot of respect.
“We have a team of really good volleyball players. I’m certain someone would have used it as an opportunity to step up for the team. But the way she’s playing now, it would be difficult.”
You can enjoy the “keep things light” side of Krasowski by hunting down a video she and her teammates made on Twitter. It was a preseason clip at practice, where Krasowski is goofing around with teammates while wearing a mini-microphone.
It’s a fun video, which ends with Krasowski looking at the camera and telling the viewers, “Come to all of our games. We’re going to be really good.”
It’s a joyous minute. It’ll make you want to buy a season ticket.
“Oh, my goodness, that video was a blast to make,” Krasowski said, laughing. “My freshman year, my roommate did one, but we haven’t done once since. This year, they asked me if I wanted to do one. I said, ‘Oh, yeah. Mic me up.’
“I go into every day just to enjoy it. Why would I go around living my life mopey and sad? I’m going to be happy and make sure everybody around me can feel that same energy.”
Krasowski did that and then some during her brilliant career at Sandburg.
As a senior, she set program records with 712 digs and 2,166 for her career.
She earned all-conference, all-area and all-American honors multiple times.
Krasowski made an immediate impact at DePaul. She earned a start in her second match and had a team-leading 13 digs against Marquette.
She finished the shortened 2020 season with 172 digs. As a sophomore, she recorded 534 digs, averaging 4.64 per set.
So far in 2022, she has 194 digs and has upped her average to 5.39.
She came in prepared. “I’ve said it before and I’m going to say it again,” Krasowski said. “You always have competition on your back for that spot.
“I really pushed myself in the offseason and over the summer to get better. I knew that being a junior and an upperclassman, I had to set that standard of how DePaul volleyball is meant to be played for the new ones coming in.”
The newcomers have already gotten an eyeful.
Aside from playful videos and inspirational phrases, Krasowski has been a defensive wizard.
During their home opener, Krawsowski made a shoulder dig on a blast by Virginia Tech. The ball caromed to the Virginia
Tech back row and fell for a kill.
“Yeah, pretty crazy,” Krasowski said. “When I saw the ball coming, I kind of just let it hit me. I’ve had a couple of those, and luckily enough, they’ve landed for a point. But that one was super cool.”
And fun for all.