Pawel Greczek came to Reavis as a soccer player.
But during his freshman year, Stephanie Korbakes coaxed the 6-foot-4 Greczek into coming out for volleyball. Korbakes, his health teacher, also happens to be an assistant coach for the Rams.
“She told me to come and try out because I was pretty tall,” Greczek said of Korbakes. “And I just fell in love with the sport.”
Without any experience from club or grade school, Greczek had to learn on the fly.
“At first, I wasn’t really comfortable, but it was a great atmosphere — great people around me,” he said. “I love the coaches. Everybody wanted me to get better, and that’s the biggest thing.”
Greczek, a senior outside hitter, would play a big role Tuesday night for host Reavis in a 25-16, 25-17 season-opening win over St. Laurence in a nonconference matchup in Burbank.
While Greczek finished with five kills, a block and an ace for the Rams (1-0), Jozef Walus came through with 10 kills, including seven in the first game. Brandon Wilke added six kills and hit .500.
Krystian Paluch tallied 15 digs and Ryan Odell chalked up 23 assists for Reavis. Elijah Landeros landed six kills and two blocks for St. Laurence (0-1), while Tim Hyland had four kills.
Since 2021, the Battle of Burbank has been the opening match for both teams. The previous four seasons, St. Laurence prevailed in three games. This time, it was Reavis’ turn to start with a win.
“This game was amazing after we kept losing to them in three sets,” Greczek said. “We lost to them every single year, and this year we broke the streak. It’s my senior year, and it feels amazing to finally do it after all of these years.
“I played club ball with Elijah and I know a lot of their players, so it feels good.”
Greczek and Landeros play for Adversity. Greczek said playing on that team boosted his game.
“It really helped me mentally,” he said. “I’ve learned not to just dwell on points and move on. They taught a lot about how to focus on my game.”
Reavis coach Mike Jebens likes what he has seen out of Greczek
“He has gotten way better during the offseason,” Jebens said. “He’s the guy on the team that looks most like a volleyball player. And he looks like a physical one, too. He has that dominant presence not only hitting, but blocking, too.
“I’m really excited to have him for his senior year.”
Walus, a Bryant & Stratton recruit, joined Korbakes in talking Greczek into playing volleyball three years ago.
“He’s one of our best hitters,” Walus said. “He gets kills like they are nothing. His passes are great. His serves are great. His defense is great. He’s just a great player overall.”
Greczek gave up soccer after this freshman year to concentrate on volleyball. He’s undecided about his future in the sport, though. He’s getting college interest but remains unsure.
“I love the sport because it’s like a family being on a team,” Greczek said. “Every day at practice, I’m really pumped to be here.”
If this is his last season, however, Greczek wants to definitely make it a good one for the Rams, who should contend for a South Suburban Conference title.
“Honestly, I think we have a really good team and we’ve been 10-0 in the conference each year since my sophomore year,” he said. “I feel like this year, we’re all seniors and we’ve played together for so long.
“I have high expectations. We want to win a regional championship and go farther. Maybe go to state.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
