Ben Boron raises expectations in his second season at Grayslake Central: ‘It was a great addition’

That junior outside hitter Ben Boron is a volleyball star for Grayslake Central might not seem surprising.

After all, his father, Grzegorz Boron, played the sport for Opole University of Technology in Poland, and his family watched it on TV when he was growing up, according to his mother, Gosia Zablotnia.

But Ben Boron’s first sport was karate, and his first high school was Rolling Meadows.

“To be honest, I don’t remember how he ended up with volleyball,” Zablotnia said. “It was probably because of his height, and we asked him whether he wanted to stay with karate because he was pretty good in that sport as well, and he chose to start volleyball.”

Now the 6-foot-5 Boron finishes.

After making Rolling Meadows’ varsity team as a freshman and ranking third with 165 kills, Boron and his family moved to Grayslake, where he has lifted the Rams (24-4, 9-0) to the top of the Northern Lake County Conference in his second season. He has a team-high 244 kills with a .362 hitting percentage, but he is also second on the team with 253 serve-receives and is third with 24 aces.

“He’s just a very solid player, and he just continued to grow as a player on and off the court,” Grayslake Central coach Dan Erlenbaugh said. “It was a great addition to have him come.”

Boron, who wants to play Division I volleyball, made an impact in his debut season for the Rams too. He had a team-high 34 aces, was second on the team with 273 kills, 43 blocks and 350 serve-receives, was third with 160 digs, and he was named all-conference.

Grayslake Central went 27-9 and lost to Stevenson in the regional finals, a match that Erlenbaugh considers Boron’s breakthrough moment.

“I saw him play at a different level,” Erlenbaugh said. “He was making smarter shots offensively. He’s a quiet person on and off the court, but he’s very emotional when things are going well. He’s able to keep everybody calm sometimes when things aren’t going our way.”

Boron came into this season with high expectations for the Rams, who have lost just three sets during a 12-match winning streak.

“This year, we definitely came in with a chip on our shoulder,” he said. “We came back with a team with more experience.”

Boron believes Grayslake Central has the potential to do more. The Rams have three conference matches left and will start the postseason in a little more than two weeks.

“I would love to win conference this year and next year,” he said. “I definitely think it’s possible with the talented group of guys that we have and the bond that we share on and off the court. And hopefully bring a regional title to Grayslake.”

Isi Frank Ativie is a freelance reporter.