Lincoln-Way West’s Lily Goyer said she doesn’t truly care about statistics.
The senior middle hitter also confirmed that she doesn’t know how hitting percentage is calculated. So entering Wednesday’s action with a whopping .434 hitting percentage didn’t even phase her.
“To be honest, I don’t really pay attention to it,” Goyer said. “I don’t know why. I don’t really care about stats. I guess I just care about how I perform with the team during the game.”
But her coach — and others who follow volleyball for a living — appreciate that type of dominant number. Given that points are deducted for hitting errors, a .400-plus average is outstanding.
“Yes, I am impressed,” Warriors coach Kendall Villa said. “It’s very difficult to do. We had starters injured who were good passers who know how to get the ball to the middle and she still hit well.”
Goyer and her teammates also played pretty well Wednesday night, beating Willowbrook 25-16, 25-17 in the opener before downing Crete-Monee 25-15, 25-17 in pool play at the Lincoln-Way Central Autumn Knights Tournament in New Lenox.
The 6-foot-2 Goyer tallied seven kills with only one error on nine attempts for a .667 hitting percentage as Lincoln-Way West (19-11) swept Willowbrook (17-14). Kara Stigter stepped up with eight kills and Emma Novotny added five.
Lockport (23-4), Lincoln-Way East (22-7), St. Laurence (21-8) and Lincoln-Way Central (19-8) were other area teams that won two pool-play matches Wednesday in the 16-team tournament. The final pool-play matches and bracket play takes place Saturday.
Senior libero Sophia Rozga — who committed Monday to Concord, an NCAA Division II program in West Virginia — enjoys watching her North Carolina Wilmington-bound teammate slam the ball down with authority and accuracy for Lincoln-Way West.
“She’s crazy,” Rozga said of Goyer’s hitting abillity. “She works hard. She’s quieter, but she gets the job done. She’s a freak athlete and she’s so good. She gets it done.”
Goyer said she has always been tall but got the chance to play all over the court while growing up.
“When she came to us in high school, she was a setter for her club team,” Villa said of Goyer. “We were like, ‘Well, that’s not going to stay.’ We needed her hitting and blocking.
“She dabbled a little on the outside, but she is a natural middle. She’s quick on that turnaround, so I think she’s in the right spot. And she knows she’s in the right spot, too.”
So, how has Goyer been able to put up such a lofty hitting percentage?
“Over the years, I definitely learned how to see the open spot on the court,” Goyer said. “When I was younger, I would hit just to hit. Now, I’m definitely a lot better at hitting angles.
“I feel like when I’m in the air, I can actually see the court better.”
With her mom, Kim, coaching volleyball in middle school and all of her siblings playing the sport, odds were good that Goyer would be involved in volleyball. But it took a little a bit.
“I tried every other sport and none stuck with me,” she said. “My last option was volleyball, and it helped that I was tall and I ended up being good at it.
“At the beginning, I thought it was going to be like every other sport. Then I started to really like it a lot. My sophomore year, I started to stick out and people were telling me to look at colleges.”
She feels like she has found a home with North Carolina Wilmington.
“I reached out to them and I love the environment,” Goyer said. “What stuck out to me was that the coaches were so sweet.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
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