An unfortunate end to Rochelle graduate Ali VanVickle’s freshman volleyball season at Kishwaukee College didn’t prevent the former Lady Hub varsity player from standing out early on in the school year for the Kougars.
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ROCHELLE — An unfortunate end to Rochelle graduate Ali VanVickle’s freshman volleyball season at Kishwaukee College didn’t prevent the former Lady Hub varsity player from standing out early on in the school year for the Kougars.
VanVickle appeared in 16 games for Kishwaukee (1-21) this past fall, leading the Kougars in total attempts (444) at outside hitter and finishing second on the team in both points (132) and kills (110). VanVickle also added 66 digs and three blocked shots, with her season-high in kills coming against Moline’s Black Hawk College on Aug. 29, when she totaled 15 in a 3-1 set loss.
“Throughout the first few weeks my coaches made some changes to my hitting and serving that really benefited me as an individual,” VanVickle said. “It’s hard to compare high school to college because they’re very different playing fields, but I enjoyed my time being able to wear both Rochelle and Kishwaukee jerseys.”
VanVickle signed with the Kougars in 2017 after leading the Rochelle offense at outside hitter during her junior and senior seasons. Her last appearance with Kishwaukee came on Sept. 21 against South Suburban College, when she recorded 11 kills and two digs. Despite the difficulties of signing with a reviving program, VanVickle said she managed to form strong bonds with both teammates and coaches.
“Because the program had just restarted we had a lot of challenges that other programs didn’t have,” VanVickle said. “Even with a small team and playing with little or no college experience we still fought hard and played well as a team. We had a good chemistry and we had good drive.”
VanVickle missed Kishwaukee’s last several games due to a knee injury, and although VanVickle said the injury will keep her from suiting up for the Kougars again, she said she still cherishes the experiences shared with her teammates, many of whom she was playing with for the first time after spending several years with Rochelle players.
“Playing in college is definitely different than high school,” VanVickle said. “The level of play is much higher and the training is much more intense. The awesome part is having new people around you and they challenge you in different ways. It was nice to play with people I’ve known since elementary school, but it was a good change for me to be able to play with some new faces.”
