Cook leads 2007 Super-Staters
Things were a bit subdued around the Cook household in late October.
Lauren Cook and her Lincoln Pius X volleyball teammates were stunned in four games on the road at Northwest on Oct. 23. The next night, coach John Cook’s top-ranked and undefeated Nebraska volleyball team was surprisingly swept in three games at Texas.
“It was pretty quiet at home for a while, no one said much,” said Lauren Cook, the honorary captain of the 2007 Lincoln Journal Star Super-State Volleyball team. “But that changed. You always bounce back.”
For Pius X, bouncing back meant winning its second straight Class B state championship and sweeping Northwest in three games in the finals. With Cook, the two-time first-team Super-State setter, directing the Thunderbolts on the court and the main four attackers (Mollie Lacy, Kellie Holtmeier, Leigh Connot and Hannah Zimmerman) providing the senior leadership, Pius X came back even stronger after each of its four losses in its 35-4 season.
The day after Pius X lost to Northwest during pool play of the season-opening Beatrice Invitational, the Thunderbolts beat Northwest in the first round of bracket play and later won the tournament. A few days after being upset by Omaha Skutt in mid-September, Pius X won the Lincoln Public Schools Classic, the top regular season tournament in the state. It was the first LPS Classic title in school history.
Less than two weeks after losing to Omaha Marian in the finals of the Lincoln Northeast Invitational, Pius X beat both Marian (a Class A state tournament semifinalist) and A state champion Papillion-La Vista during a home triangular in mid-October.
Lauren Cook says she probably doesn’t take her competitiveness to the point her father does. “When he plays basketball or sand volleyball, he really gets into it,” she said.
“I’m not overly competitive, but I don’t like to lose and I’ll do whatever it takes not to have it happen again,” Lauren added. “We (Pius X) had some struggles, some ups and downs this season. We learned a lot from those losses and they eventually helped us in the end.”
Cook certainly knows something about winning. She’s not only been a driving force on two high school state championship teams, she was the most valuable player in her age division at the USA Volleyball Junior Olympic nationals last summer. Cook was the setter on the Nebraska Volleyball Academy’s 17-and-under team that won the national division in Minneapolis. Another Super-Stater, Papillion-La Vista’s Gina Mancuso, was on the squad.
“I guess you could say I’m on a roll right now,” Cook said, smiling. “I’ve been very fortunate to be part of those teams, both at Pius and in club, and to have the teammates I’ve had.”
It was another record-setting season for the 5-foot-7 Cook. She broke her own state record for assists in a season with 1,341. Her 165 kills (.435 hitting efficiency) and deftly placed dump shots kept opposing defenses off-balance. Her jump-float serve produced a team-high 51 aces.
And when teams forced Cook to take the first ball, she was solid there as well with 292 digs.
In addition to club and high school ball, Cook took full advantage of other opportunities to improve her setting over the past year. She attended an elite setters camp at the Sports Performance club in Chicago last summer after nationals. She also trained with her age group’s A-2 junior national team shortly before the start of high school preseason practice.
Throw in physical training to improve her quickness, jumping ability and strength, and regular 1-on-1 setting sessions with her father during the offseason, and it’s easy to see why Cook played at such a high level this fall.
“She got so much stronger and was much more efficient in her footwork this season, and that allowed her to run a much faster offense,” Pius X coach Jake Moore said. “This year, we’d pass 15 feet off the net and she could still run a shoot set to anywhere on the net.”
That fast offense was never more evident than the quick sets and slides Cook ran with her middles Lacy and Holtmeier. “I love the quick attack, the faster the offense the better,” Cook said. “When things are slow, it doesn’t feel right.”
Things certainly won’t be slow for Cook over the next year. She’ll be playing club again for the Nebraska Volleyball Academy and deciding where she’ll be going to college. Next fall, she’ll lead a young, rebuilt Pius X team that will once again fight for Class B prominence.
Despite only being 5-7, Cook is considered one of the top setter prospects nationally in the class of 2009. Before the high school season, Cook listed Washington, Georgia Tech and San Diego as three of her top prospective colleges, but she says that mix has since changed.
“It’s wide open, I’m just now picking which schools to visit and which direction I want to go,” Cook said. “I’m going to take my time. I’m not rushing to make a decision.”
And what about Nebraska? She’s downplayed the possibility of being a Husker in the past, saying she’d like to get away from home to go to college. That position hasn’t changed.
“It’s a great school and I haven’t ruled Nebraska out,” Cook said. “But the likeliness (of going to NU) is slim to none.”
Cook is also getting college looks as a libero. While Cook has the defensive tenacity and ball skills to play the position, her passion is setting.
“I like to be the one in charge,” Cook said. “Even though I’m short, it shouldn’t hold me back. You can always improve your vertical jump and play taller than you really are.”
It’s a challenge she’s looking forward to, just like the 2008 high school season, when she’ll be one of the oldest player on the floor, not the youngest like it’s been throughout her volleyball career.
“I love challenges, I like to take on difficult situations,” Cook said. “That’s what will make next season so interesting.”
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
Lauren Cook and her Lincoln Pius X volleyball teammates were stunned in four games on the road at Northwest on Oct. 23. The next night, coach John Cook’s top-ranked and undefeated Nebraska volleyball team was surprisingly swept in three games at Texas.
“It was pretty quiet at home for a while, no one said much,” said Lauren Cook, the honorary captain of the 2007 Lincoln Journal Star Super-State Volleyball team. “But that changed. You always bounce back.”
For Pius X, bouncing back meant winning its second straight Class B state championship and sweeping Northwest in three games in the finals. With Cook, the two-time first-team Super-State setter, directing the Thunderbolts on the court and the main four attackers (Mollie Lacy, Kellie Holtmeier, Leigh Connot and Hannah Zimmerman) providing the senior leadership, Pius X came back even stronger after each of its four losses in its 35-4 season.
The day after Pius X lost to Northwest during pool play of the season-opening Beatrice Invitational, the Thunderbolts beat Northwest in the first round of bracket play and later won the tournament. A few days after being upset by Omaha Skutt in mid-September, Pius X won the Lincoln Public Schools Classic, the top regular season tournament in the state. It was the first LPS Classic title in school history.
Less than two weeks after losing to Omaha Marian in the finals of the Lincoln Northeast Invitational, Pius X beat both Marian (a Class A state tournament semifinalist) and A state champion Papillion-La Vista during a home triangular in mid-October.
Lauren Cook says she probably doesn’t take her competitiveness to the point her father does. “When he plays basketball or sand volleyball, he really gets into it,” she said.
“I’m not overly competitive, but I don’t like to lose and I’ll do whatever it takes not to have it happen again,” Lauren added. “We (Pius X) had some struggles, some ups and downs this season. We learned a lot from those losses and they eventually helped us in the end.”
Cook certainly knows something about winning. She’s not only been a driving force on two high school state championship teams, she was the most valuable player in her age division at the USA Volleyball Junior Olympic nationals last summer. Cook was the setter on the Nebraska Volleyball Academy’s 17-and-under team that won the national division in Minneapolis. Another Super-Stater, Papillion-La Vista’s Gina Mancuso, was on the squad.
“I guess you could say I’m on a roll right now,” Cook said, smiling. “I’ve been very fortunate to be part of those teams, both at Pius and in club, and to have the teammates I’ve had.”
It was another record-setting season for the 5-foot-7 Cook. She broke her own state record for assists in a season with 1,341. Her 165 kills (.435 hitting efficiency) and deftly placed dump shots kept opposing defenses off-balance. Her jump-float serve produced a team-high 51 aces.
And when teams forced Cook to take the first ball, she was solid there as well with 292 digs.
In addition to club and high school ball, Cook took full advantage of other opportunities to improve her setting over the past year. She attended an elite setters camp at the Sports Performance club in Chicago last summer after nationals. She also trained with her age group’s A-2 junior national team shortly before the start of high school preseason practice.
Throw in physical training to improve her quickness, jumping ability and strength, and regular 1-on-1 setting sessions with her father during the offseason, and it’s easy to see why Cook played at such a high level this fall.
“She got so much stronger and was much more efficient in her footwork this season, and that allowed her to run a much faster offense,” Pius X coach Jake Moore said. “This year, we’d pass 15 feet off the net and she could still run a shoot set to anywhere on the net.”
That fast offense was never more evident than the quick sets and slides Cook ran with her middles Lacy and Holtmeier. “I love the quick attack, the faster the offense the better,” Cook said. “When things are slow, it doesn’t feel right.”
Things certainly won’t be slow for Cook over the next year. She’ll be playing club again for the Nebraska Volleyball Academy and deciding where she’ll be going to college. Next fall, she’ll lead a young, rebuilt Pius X team that will once again fight for Class B prominence.
Despite only being 5-7, Cook is considered one of the top setter prospects nationally in the class of 2009. Before the high school season, Cook listed Washington, Georgia Tech and San Diego as three of her top prospective colleges, but she says that mix has since changed.
“It’s wide open, I’m just now picking which schools to visit and which direction I want to go,” Cook said. “I’m going to take my time. I’m not rushing to make a decision.”
And what about Nebraska? She’s downplayed the possibility of being a Husker in the past, saying she’d like to get away from home to go to college. That position hasn’t changed.
“It’s a great school and I haven’t ruled Nebraska out,” Cook said. “But the likeliness (of going to NU) is slim to none.”
Cook is also getting college looks as a libero. While Cook has the defensive tenacity and ball skills to play the position, her passion is setting.
“I like to be the one in charge,” Cook said. “Even though I’m short, it shouldn’t hold me back. You can always improve your vertical jump and play taller than you really are.”
It’s a challenge she’s looking forward to, just like the 2008 high school season, when she’ll be one of the oldest player on the floor, not the youngest like it’s been throughout her volleyball career.
“I love challenges, I like to take on difficult situations,” Cook said. “That’s what will make next season so interesting.”
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
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