Grayslake Central senior libero Evan Page recalls that he didn’t envision playing volleyball when he was younger.
Only a few years ago, he was focused on other sports.
“Of all things, volleyball would be the last thing on my mind,” Page said. “I grew up playing baseball and basketball and even did wrestling for a bit. But none of them seemed to fit.”
Page stumbled upon volleyball during the coronavirus pandemic, picking up the sport through a local park district’s league. He said he was drawn to it immediately.
“I decided to do volleyball and fell in love with it,” he said. “Being on a team and so involved in a team-centered sport gave me fire and passion. I loved it. Before that, I would be bored with baseball and basketball, but I found my passion on the volleyball team.”
Page’s dedication has made him a three-year starter and helped Grayslake Central put together one of the best seasons in the 10-year existence of the program. The North Central College commit has 342 digs and 28 aces for the Rams (26-6, 12-0), who won their second straight Northern Lake County Conference title and will play Carmel in the regional quarterfinals on Monday.
Grayslake Central coach Dan Erlenbaugh said Page’s ability to keep the ball in play is instrumental to the team’s success.
“He can read offenses,” Erlenbaugh said. “He’s able to pick up tips, and in serve-receive, he can read the ball right off the hand of server. He can get there, so we can run offense. It all starts with him.”
It also starts with Page at the service line too.
“When he’s on, he can pick teams apart — get aces, make teams move and make them to do what we want them to do,” Erlenbaugh said.
Page is one of 11 seniors on the roster and earns the respect of his teammates with his fearlessness, according to Erlenbaugh.
“His hips after matches have burns and scratches, and his knees are always nicked up, and you can see the blood through his T-shirt,” Erlenbaugh said. “He’s different than other liberos, but he’s one of the best liberos.”
Grayslake Central senior outside hitter Ben Boron, a three-year starter who has committed to Lewis, highlighted Page’s ability to keep a level head.
“Something that makes Evan such a talented player is his composure on the court,” Boron said. “He doesn’t get stuck up on mistakes.”
Grayslake Central senior setter Bryce Tupaz, a three-year starter who has committed to Trine, said Page sets a good example for teammates to follow.
“Evan is a great volleyball player because of his focus and his drive,” Tupaz said. “He continuously strives to be better every day at his job, either getting a better touch on a difficult ball or adjusting to a play that he messed up.
“Evan’s energy also impacts the team. He is funny and great at picking up his teammates. His energy and excitement to play volleyball and win reaches each of his teammates and motivates all of his to act and play the same way.”
Page is surprised to have made himself into a college-bound player in a relatively short amount of time.
“It’s something that I’m super proud of myself for doing,” he said. “It comes with hard work and a lot of support from my team, my family and my coaches, and everyone around me.
“I’ve always been a hardworking person and hold myself to a pretty high standard. That helped me push to meet all these goals and expectations I placed on myself.”
Page has goals for the Rams too.
“We could make a deep run if we all stay focused,” he said. “We’re in a tough sectional spot, but if we eliminate a lot of our bad errors and come together and work together as a team, we can do well.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.
