When talking about teammate Parker Crims, Shepard’s Lexi Jensen was nearly moved to tears.
Note to anyone who wants to talk to Jensen about Crims, a junior middle hitter for the Astros. Make sure these two are not within eye contact of each other.
After the Astros opened the season Aug. 27 with a win at Chicago Christian, Jensen raved about her teammate. The two were standing next to each other, and Jensen had to stop.
“You’re going to make me cry,” Jensen, a senior middle hitter, told Crims and then added, “Don’t look at me or you will start to cry.”
Crims doesn’t have a world of experience playing volleyball, but in a short amount of time, she has been a strong hitter, blocker and server for the Astros (4-2).
With Jensen already established as a force in the middle, the Astros should continue be strong at that position this season.
“Her talent is there,” Jensen said of Crims. “I see all of it. It kind of reminds me of when I was younger because I didn’t play volleyball until I got into high school. I just did it for fun, and I turned out to be good at it.
“With the talent that she has, she is definitely going somewhere. Just looking back from last year to this year, her talent jumped a major amount. I’m proud of her.”
The 6-foot Crims, who was involved in cheerleading and track, decided in 2022 to give volleyball a try.
“I started pretty late, but I feel like I’ve worked hard to get to where I am right now,” she said. “My brother (Payton) played other sports, and I wanted to experiment with a new sport.”
Payton, who played basketball and baseball and ran track, graduated in 2023 from Shepard and went on to play basketball for Monmouth. Aside from his skills on the court, he made an overall impact at the school by being named the school’s Freshman Man of the Year.
While Payton made a name for himself as a freshman at Monmouth, Parker did the same as a sophomore on the varsity in volleyball for the Astros with 120 kills, 43 blocks and 36 aces.
Shepard coach Caroline Graham was the JV coach in 2022 and helped develop Crims as a freshman. Graham felt that Crims earned the varsity job and was ready for the big time.
“She started out without having much volleyball experience,” Graham said. “But she was one of those players who would come in early and set up the nets and would do the little things.
“She has a great attitude. She worked hard to get to where she is in such a short period of time.”
Having Jensen, a four-year varsity player, nearby didn’t hurt.
“Parker and Lexi are great friends and push each other in practice,” Graham said.
“Just her energy and looking up to he as an older player is inspiring,” Crims said of Jensen. “I want to follow in her footsteps.”
Learning the ropes was not always easy for Crims, however.
“The hardest adjustment was probably the rotations,” she said. “Learning the plays was hard. There are a lot of things that go on in a 25-point match. It’s a lot but it’s fun.”
An offseason with in club with 1st Alliance also helped her progress. She said she was drawn to the game because of the pace and is starting to feel comfortable now.
“I love the fast pace of the game and the competition,” Crims said. “I think it’s just been fun experience and a great experience with the team.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
