Cook leads 2007 Super-Staters
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BY RON POWELL / Lincoln Journal Star
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.”
Papillion-La Vista
Height: 6-0, Year: Junior
Position: Outside hitter
College: Uncommitted, but is leaning heavily toward Nebraska
Statistically speaking: The two-time, first-team Super-Stater led the Monarchs to the Class A state championship by becoming the top all-around player in the state. Mancuso, one of the top outside hitter prospects nationally from the class of 2009, unloaded a state-leading 669 kills (.373 hitting efficiency) and registered 76 ace blocks, 29 ace serves and 418 digs. Mancuso was a driving force on the Nebraska Volleyball Academy‘s 17-and-under club team winning a national championship last summer.
Coach speak: “Athletically, it’s always been there for Gina, but now she has the confidence and maturity to back it up on the court. She’s very versatile, and with her arm swing, could play almost any position in college. Her back row play has improved so much, she could even be a libero.’’ -- JJ Toczek, Papillion-La Vista.
Kelsey Petersen
Kearney
Height: 6-0, Year: Senior
Position: Middle blocker/outside hitter
College: Signed with Iowa State
Statistically speaking: Petersen underwent surgery Monday on a right shoulder injury she suffered in early September. Despite the injury that forced her to miss five matches and play more of a finesse game at the net, Petersen still finished with 325 kills (.324 hitting efficiency), 75 ace blocks and 168 digs. Petersen’s jumping ability (she’s the defending Class A state high jump champion) and quick arm swing makes her a top college prospect. Petersen, a third-team Super-Stater as a junior, played club for the Nebraska Volleyball Academy last winter and spring.
Coach speak: “It was unbelievable to see her hit the ball before she got hurt, you could see a definite change in her game from last year. We appreciated that she played out the season instead of getting surgery right away. It’s always more fun to see her pound the ball, but she learned the value of placing the ball and seeing the court after she was injured.” -- Megan Gangwish, Kearney
Carly Jenson
Millard North
Height: 5-11, Year: Senior
Position: Outside hitter
College: Iowa State walk-on
Statistically speaking: Jenson, a third-team Super-Stater last year, played a major role in the Mustangs reaching the Class A state tournament semifinals. She cranked 401 kills with a hitting efficiency of .340. She added 35 ace blocks, 58 jump serve aces and 287 digs. In the off-season, Jenson plays for Nebraska Elite where she’s teammates with fellow first-team Super-Staters Keelin Bourne, Caitlin Mahoney and Chelsey Feekin.
Coach speak: “If Carly was a few inches taller, people would be comparing her to Jordan Larson. She can hit the ball as hard as anyone in the state. Being 5-11 with her jumping ability and arm swing, she has a chance to be a good Big 12 player at Iowa State.” -- Dave Cork, Millard North
Caitlin Mahoney
Omaha Marian
Height: 5-9, Year: Senior
Position: Outside hitter/libero
College: Signed with Iowa State
Statistically speaking: Mahoney, another third-team Super-Stater in 2006, could hurt opponents from any position on the court and propelled Marian to the state tournament semifinals. At the net, she ripped 379 kills and had a hitting efficiency of .358 with 18 blocks. Mahoney’s jump serve is record-breaking with Class A ace records for a match (15), a season (125) and career (390). Mahoney, who could be a libero at Iowa State, popped up 336 digs this season.
Coach speak: “She doesn’t have the height and reach to be a dominating attacker, but she could see the block and find ways to score. Caitlin grew a lot mentally from last year. She never went into slumps during matches this year like she did when she was younger. She was strong every match this season.” --Rochelle Rohlfs, Omaha Marian
Keelin Bourne
Millard North
Height: 6-3, Year: Senior
Position: Right side/setter
College: Signed with Illinois
Statistically speaking: The three-time first-team Super-Stater had another monster season for the Mustangs. At the net, the left-hander slammed 296 kills with a .386 hitting efficiency and registered 40 ace blocks. Her versatility shows when she goes to the back row with 41 ace serves and 553 assists in Millard North’s 6-2 attack. Bourne will be a right side attacker at Illinois.
Coach speak: “Keelin has the ball skills to do anything on the court. We had more attackers this season so we didn’t need to rely on her as much hitting. Her assists were up by more than 70 over last year and she allowed us to take advantage of all our offensive options.” -- Dave Cork, Millard North.
Chelsey Feekin
Papillion-La Vista
Height: 6-1, Year: Junior
Position: Setter
College: Being recruited by numerous Division I programs, including Iowa State and Ohio University.
Statistically speaking: Feekin’s size and her improving foot speed and setting skills make her a high Division I level prospect. She put up 1,199 assists for the state champion Monarchs, but was also a threat herself at the net. Feekin’s left-handed swing produced 148 kills with a .436 hitting efficiency, and she also knocked down 122 ace blocks. Feekin served 32 aces and recorded 355 digs.
Coach speak: “She’s finally catching up to her height, so physically, she’s becoming an outstanding setter. Mentally, she’s very, very bright, so she’s able to see things on the court, process it and then execute it. It’s nice having her size at the net with her blocking and ability to attack with her left hand.’’ -- JJ Toczek, Papillion-La Vista.
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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