Transferring from Yorkville to Lemont last year helped Nora Miller improve her geography skills.
After her mother remarried and told Nora they were moving to Lemont, Nora was at a loss.
“I didn’t even know where Lemont was,” Miller said. “If you asked me that two years ago, I would have said, ‘Where is that?’’’
She certainly knows where it is now, and she also is happy for the move.
“I love the location and love the town,” Miller said. “I love the opportunities it has given me here, being at a smaller school.”
Not only are her geography skills a little sharper, her volleyball skills are trending upward.
The junior is the starting libero for Lemont (16-5), and it’s a position she waited a year to play. Last season, she was on the varsity and played defense, but libero was the spot she wanted.
“I like libero because it gives you an opportunity to be a leader on the court,” she said. “You are on the court a lot and get to see a lot of playing time. There’s a lot of opportunity to bring energy.
“I like supporting my teammates. I’ve always felt like I’ve been an uplifting teammate. I try to hold myself true to that because if you have a bad game, the one thing you can control is your attitude.”
Lemont’s Nora Miller (1) and Jessica Rimbo (13) celebrate a point against Evergreen Park during a South Suburban Conference crossover match in Lemont on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023. (Troy Stolt / Daily Southtown)
During the club season for First Alliance, she said she was asked to play all over the court on defense. She thinks that has helped her get a good feel for the back row.
Lemont coach Chris Zogata, who noticed the improvement, knew Miller earned the libero jersey.
“She came in better,” Zogata said of Miller. “She worked hard and came in with a lot more confidence. As a sophomore, she was on the varsity, but she didn’t play a lot.
“She got some playing time but wasn’t playing in the libero shirt. Once she got into the libero shirt, it boosted her confidence and then she relaxed and played better.”
Sometimes, the libero goes unnoticed, but the 5-foot-6 Miller made a big impact right away in August as she was named all-tournament at Metea Valley.
Zogata broke down Miller’s skills.
“She moves really well and wants to dig every single ball — that’s the big thing,” Zogata said of Miller. “That’s definitely what you want to see in a libero.
“She’s also good at making in-game adjustments, and she reads the ball pretty well.”
For Miller, volleyball is a great way to get away from the problems of the real world.
“I love being able to clear my mind,” she said. “Coach Z tells us the gym is the place where you are supposed to think about volleyball and nothing else. Forget about all of the distractions.
“It is good knowing that when I step onto the court, I know I can forget about everything else. I might think about it right after, but when I’m on the court I can just play my game.”
Lemont is off to a hot start, and the returning players are still dealing with the sting of last season. A procedural error of playing one more regular-season game than allowed by the Illinois High School Association resulted in a postseason disqualification.
“It was nerve-wrecking coming into this year,” Miller said. “I was on my first year of the varsity and I didn’t get to experience the state tournament, but this year, we will have the opportunity and everyone on the team has moved on from the mistake.
“It’s a mistake that happens. You can’t take it back. The only thing we can do now is look forward.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
