DEVILS LAKE – A 3-1 start to the season for the Lake Region State Lady Royals might have been just what the doctor ordered.
Madeleine “Maddie” Stefonowicz’s performance, in particular, certainly helped brew such a successful road trip.
Her production over the weekend not only netted the sophomore opposite hitter a healthy dose of momentum but additionally helped garner enough voting support to take home this week’s “Athlete of the Week” honor.
In four matches played over the weekend (Aug. 19-20), Stefonowicz collected 22 kills and six blocks. The sophomore’s 2.5 points per set (PTS/S) additionally ranked second on the team over the four-match stretch (Desidy Schwanke ranked first with 2.6 PTS/S).
“Not only is Maddie hitting the ball harder, [but] she is so much smarter with the ball,” Lake Region State Volleyball head coach Steve Waddell said. “She only had a handful of hitting errors throughout the weekend, and she is moving the ball around [and] keeping the defense guessing. Her blocking has become much more consistent, and she is forcing opposing hitters to make more errors. She also wants the ball a lot more this year as a hitter, and she has become a go-to hitter when we need a kill.”
Waddell has noticed one significant difference in Stefonowicz when comparing her present time as a sophomore to her time as a freshman last season.
“The biggest thing that I’ve seen from her is her confidence,” Waddell said. “She has a presence this year as a player and leader that I didn’t see last season. She has realized her true potential, and she is owning the fact that she is a terminating hitter for us. Also, I have her passing the ball in serve receive for a rotation, which I did last year out of necessity, but this year I have made that change because she is just such a great passer.”
Although the Lady Royals have only concluded one weekend of volleyball action, positivity is in the air, according to Waddell.
The reasoning, of course, comes from his team’s crop of veteran players, spearheaded by Stefonowicz. From her role in helping win on the court to her mentorship off of the court, Stefonowicz has taken the necessary leap forward one would expect from a second-year player.
“Maddie, along with the five other returners, have been integral to our success so far,” Waddell said. “They have set the tone and modeled what we value as Royals volleyball players over the past two weeks. When we made errors this weekend, Maddie helped to refocus our younger players and keep perspective on the match. She has completely bought into my system of coaching and has helped to solidify the necessary bond for all of our players.”
The Devils Lake Journal hosts the “Athlete of the Week” contest weekly. Athletes nominated and/or given the award are based on the athlete’s performance from the prior week. Ballot nominations are submitted by coaches from Saturday morning to Monday at 10:00 a.m CDT. Finalist voting starts Monday at noon and ends Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. CDT. The ballot winner will be featured in a profile for the publication.
The following programs can nominate an athlete for the award: Lake Region State College, Devils Lake, Langdon Area/Edmore/Munich (Football, Volleyball), Cavalier (Football), Larimore (Football), Midway/Minto (Football), Nelson County (Football, Volleyball), North Border (Football), Benson County (Football, Volleyball), Four Winds/Minnewaukan (Football, Volleyball), New Rockford-Sheyenne (Football, Volleyball), North Prairie (Football, Volleyball), North Star (Football, Volleyball), Dunseith (Volleyball), Harvey/Wells County (Volleyball), Rolette (Volleyball) or St. John (Volleyball).
Voting results:
John Crane is a sports/general assignment reporter for the Devils Lake Journal. Feel free to contact John via work phone (701-922-1372), cell phone (701-230-4339), email (jcrane@gannett.com) or Twitter (@johncranesports) with any story ideas.
