[glow=GREEN,2,300]LOOKS LIKE LEWIS GETS ANOTHER PLAYER....[/glow]
www.starnewspapers.com/star/spsports/smix/101sx5.htmVidovic led the way for Rice in volleyball
Sunday, July 10, 2005
By Jason Paha, The Star
His demeanor may be as relaxed as a California beachfront, but even Jordan Vidovic has his sore points.
Take for instance this season's Brother Rice Sectional championship, where Sandburg upended the Crusaders in two games, closing Vidovic's high school vocation on a sour note.
"I definitely didn't end my career the way I wanted to," the 6-foot senior setter said. "We held a pretty decent lead (against Sandburg) in the first game and it fell apart. After that, we felt like we couldn't do anything right and nothing went our way. It was disappointing.
"But, it was still a pretty good season," Vidovic added. "We won 30 games for the fourth straight year and we won the Chicago Catholic League again. It was a good year. And a good career."
That final sentence staggers out of Vidovic's mouth, almost as if he thinks the disappointment of never winning a state title overshadows his outstanding career at Brother Rice.
That, most certainly, is not the case.
"Jordan is a tremendous volleyball player and a tremendous person," Crusaders coach Paul Ickes said. "We have been very fortunate at Brother Rice to have an incredibly talented setter like him. He left a mark at our school."
Vidovic, The Star's 2005 boys volleyball Player of the Year, enjoyed one of the most decorated high school careers an athlete can accrue.
The Blue Island native was the first Crusader volleyball player to start all four years on varsity, was named the Most Valuable Player of the Chicago Catholic League this season after posting 827 assists and 43 service aces, and is ranked second in Illinois state history with 3,704 assists.
For now.
As it currently stands, Wheaton-Warrenville South setter Doug Burchett sits atop the record books as Illinois' all-time assists leader with over 3,900.
Burchett's tenure at No. 1 may be short-lived however, thanks to a possible recording snafu by Brother Rice that is being investigated.
"My dad is talking to our coaches about the situation," Vidovic said. "My stats were never really calculated year-by-year. After my sophomore year, my stats were way off because we started a new system of keeping track. We had 15 matches missing, and I should probably have around 300 or 400 more assists than I do.
"Me and Doug (Burchett) both started the same year, and after our freshman year, I had around 300 or 400 more assists than he did, and every year after that we were pretty close, so the numbers seem off," Vidovic said. "I assume it's going to be changed. I haven't really talked to coach about it."
If the missing assists are uncovered, Vidovic will find himself being honored as the most prolific assist-earner in state history.
"It's not a really big thing for me," Vidovic said. "It would be nice to have it, and from what I know I think I have it, but who knows?"
While Vidovic's past accomplishments may be murky, his future is crystal clear.
He will attend Lewis University in the fall and is looking to help bring the volleyball program back to its recent lofty heights before it was put on four years' probation for a slew of infractions.
"I'm excited about Lewis," Vidovic said. "It's going to be a whole-new experience, trying to fit into a different system and a different type of game. It's going to be a lot faster, and the level of play is going to be more competitive. The guys are going to be bigger, faster and stronger, and I'm going to have to try and keep up with them.
"I'm a little nervous, but I'm kind of excited," Vidovic added. "I think it'll be fun to play at UCLA, at Penn State, at Ohio State. I'm pretty excited about seeing what I can do against top-caliber programs like that."