Richards coach Nick Costa has a favorite story about junior outside hitter Peyton Craan. It involves the first day she showed up on his court.
It was her freshman year, and although Craan came in with a reputation as a talented player, Costa wanted to make sure. So …
“Once she entered the gym, I think I gave her one swing with the JV,” Costa said.
It must have been some swing.
“I think it was pretty good,” Craan said, laughing at the memory. “But I was pretty nervous because sometimes I lack confidence.”
Costa sure didn’t see it.
“Haha, after that, I immediately told the JV coach, ‘Yeah, she’s going to come over to our court,’” Costa said. “When I told her, her eyes got huge and her smile was the biggest I’d ever seen someone smile. Then she took this happy little jog to the varsity court.”
Craan was running at full speed Thursday night for the Bulldogs in a 25-23, 25-20 South Suburban Red victory over host Reavis in Burbank.
Craan finished with nine kills and four digs for Richards (8-4, 3-2). Mia Albon added four kills and three aces. Emily Chavosky contributed 17 assists and Kailey Moore made 15 digs.
Lily Fish and Lorena Viloria each tallied four kills for Reavis (3-8, 2-4). Alexa Pena Flores added three kills, while Quetzalli Pichardo-Aich had 13 assists and Natalia Kowalski made 11 digs.
The 5-foot-7 Craan showed plenty of power Thursday, but her first kill wasn’t after a big swing. It was a gentle and perfectly placed push down the left line that dropped in just inside the back row.
“Oh yeah, my tips, my deep-corner tips,” Craan said, laughing. “It’s pretty big. A lot of times, the middle backs have a tough time shifting corner to corner. If I have a big block in front of me, I use that.”
It was only the tip of the iceberg for Craan. She also had some free swings for kills during the first game. In the second game, she delivered an ace serve during an early pullaway. Later, she had a big kill from the back row that ended one Reavis rally.
And back row defense was there with consistency — as it has been all season. In addition to her 93 kills and 19 aces, she also has 63 digs.
“A big emphasis for us with our outsides is controlling the back line,” Costa said. “There were a lot of balls that dropped last season. It’s been nice to see Peyton and Mia (Albon) develop past the offensive level to get those service aces, have back row attacks that they can put down and be defensive-minded as well.”
Craan started playing volleyball in fourth grade. There was a time before when she was serious about being a gymnast.
“I did that from 4 years old to 10 years old,” Craan said. “Then I got a bit too tall for that. And I really didn’t like it anymore. It was kind of boring. I needed something new.”
Mom suggested volleyball.
“Haha, I honestly didn’t want to do volleyball, but my mom forced me to do it,” Craan said. “Now I just love it. I love to be aggressive.”
It was through intramural volleyball at Kolmar Elementary School that she became good friends with Chavosky. Their connection remained strong even when they didn’t play volleyball together during Craan’s first two years at Richards.
Being reunited on the court?
“The first practice (this season) there was kind of a spark,” Chavosky said. “The connection isn’t always there for every single point, but it just matters how we bounce back.”
No one does it better than Craan.
“She has resilience,” Chavosky said. “Even after she gets blocked once or gets into the net, she comes back harder and more determined to get that kill.”
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
