Homewood-Flossmoor’s LaDonna Trantham started her athletic career as a gymnast.
But in fifth grade, she started playing club volleyball and discovered her love for the sport, even though it was a slow start. She had some upper body strength from gymnastics but wanted more.
“I was a little frail,” she said. “Then I got some weight on me and I started hitting the weight room.”
And she hasn’t stopped hitting that room. The senior outside hitter works out religiously with her trainer while playing volleyball year-round with high school and club.
“I think weight training is very important for every athlete to take seriously,” Trantham said.
Trantham continued to show off some serious power Tuesday night, slamming down nine kills for the Vikings during a 25-16, 25-13 nonconference victory over host Richards in Oak Lawn.
Frances Smith added six kills for H-F (24-6), including four during a 12-point run in the first game that helped turn an 8-6 deficit into an 18-9 lead.
Kymora Scott had four kills and two blocks, while Aniyah Wise added three kills and three blocks and Skylar Skinner tallied 19 assists. Angelena Alborn closed the match with two big aces.
Peyton Craan and Kaianna Terry each contributed four kills for Richards (14-10).
The 5-foot-9, Trantham, a Cal State Bakersfield recruit, said she needs power to offset her height.
“I am a shorter player, so I have to show my strength and agility,” she said. “The power behind the ball is what’s going to help me score most of the time.
“But I also need accuracy, and court awareness is definitely a part of it.”
H-F coach Bob St. Leger said Trantham, in her fourth year on the varsity, holds the program record for career kills over 900 and counting.
“She’s an amazing player,” St. Ledger said of Trantham. “I’m sure the other coaches in the conference won’t be sad to see her go.”
Smith, also a senior outside hitter, said she has admired Trantham over the years.
“She’s the one person on the court that you can look to for advice or support or anything that you need,” Smith said of Trantham. “And she’s a really, really, really great player who gives a 110% effort. She believes in the team and has confidence in all of the players.”
According to St. Leger, Smith flies under the radar with Trantham, Scott and Skinner all showing off their star power.
“For two years, Frances has not come off the court,” he said. “She’s on the court for six rotations. She’s rock solid and statistically our best passer. She’s not flying way above the net, but she has a big arm and jumps well, and for a lot of other teams, she would be the go-to.”
The Vikings, who won 25 matches last season, take a seven-match winning streak into Thursday’s SouthWest Suburban Conference action against Lincoln-Way West and Tuesday’s road showdown with Lincoln-Way East.
H-F lost Clemson commit Ihuoma Ozoh, a 6-2 junior middle hitter, to an injury early in the season and had to adjust to playing without her.
Trantham said after Ozoh’s injury, she tried to step up her game a little bit to help compensate.
“I felt like coming into this season, I was comfortable with letting the team speak for itself,” Trantham said. “But there is nothing wrong with being a push behind the team and trying to be extra motivating.
“The dynamic that we have now is working. I’m just taking any role that I can, and if that means I have to step up more, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
