Sophomore outside hitter Surendran Heyward was named one of Homewood-Flossmoor’s students of the month for April, earning a certificate and a $10 gift card to Little Caesars.
A free slice of pizza? Let’s get in the car.
“My driver’s ed teacher nominated me,” Heyward said. “He has been seeing me put the work in behind the wheel. He said I was really doing well in class and helping other people out.”
Heyward opened the month of May by helping out his teammates quite a bit, too.
He had 17 kills, eight digs, two block assists, a solo block and an ace Thursday to lift the host Vikings to a 25-17, 24-26, 25-22 SouthWest Suburban Conference win over Andrew in Flossmoor.
Indiana Tech commit Caleb Madden added had 13 kills, four block assists and two solo blocks for H-F (22-5, 2-1), while Isaiah Thompson tallied three block assists.
Scott Dinnon led Andrew (11-18, 1-3) with 17 kills. He had a stunning sequence in the second game with five kills and a block as the Thunderbolts turned a 5-0 deficit into an 8-6 lead. What could have been a short night turned into a pair of thrilling games to close out the match.
“I knew we had to get going,” Dinnon said. “We lost the first set and we were down 5-0. We had to bounce back and get some energy. My teammates kept giving me the ball in the perfect spot.”
The Vikings, meanwhile, have been playing for more than a week without all-state hitter Ahmad Powell, who’s nursing a quad injury. Others have had to step up their game, including Heyward.
“He’s a monster,” Madden said of Heyward. “I will say that as a kid playing against all of these seniors and big guys, he’s showing improvements. I knew he was going to be great.
“I watched him as a freshman on the sophomore team and I knew he was going to be fine.”
Heyward comes from a strong volleyball family. His older sister, Jasmine, played at Dominican in California before moving on to Lake Erie in Ohio.
His older brother, Tarendran, is a freshman setter at Penn State Behrend.
“They both played here,” Surendran said. “It was only right that I would play volleyball, too.”
H-F coach Mark Ciesielski appreciates the fact that Heyward can play all over the court.
“He certainly doesn’t play like a sophomore,” Ciesielski said of Heyward. “He’s a force at the net, and he’s really been working on his defense.
“We’re really happy with him, and he had some big plays (Thursday).”
Ciesielski was also pumped up about Madden, who chipped in with five kills and had a hand on four blocks in the deciding game.
“Caleb was the answer, and when we came into that third game, we looked at him and said ‘Caleb, you need to take over this game,”’ Ciesielski said. “And he did. He hit the ball extremely well and was a force with the blocks. He was an uplifting player who sealed the game for us.”
The 6-foot-2 Madden confirmed he went outside out of his comfort zone in that final game.
“The team was struggling to put some balls down,” Madden said. “I was like, ‘If I don’t put these ball down, we’re probably going to lose.’
“So I took my chances — shots I wasn’t comfortable with — and it turned out OK, I guess.”
Heyward, who’s also 6-2, is getting some interest from colleges, including Lindenwood.
He’s a huge fan of playing the sport.
“I love how it really brings people together,” he said. “I made a lot of friends through volleyball. I’m able to show my emotions all over the court with my teammates and that’s what I love about it.
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
