Growing up with parents as coaches, senior setter Paige Genke seemed destined to be involved in sports in some fashion for South Elgin.
Her mother, Maureen, played outside hitter in volleyball in college. Her father, Todd, was a minor league baseball pitcher and is the longtime baseball coach at St. Charles North. Todd and Maureen met at Wisconsin-Whitewater, where they both competed in sports.
It was inevitable.
“I take everything from them,” Paige said. “They told me about volleyball from the beginning and I’m so blessed that they let me play. They invested in me, and I’ve been so grateful.
“It definitely took some time. I originally played tennis. My mom started me in volleyball. She was also my first coach. I was originally an outside hitter, and let’s just say that was not my talent. She pushed me into being a setter at age 9. She’s been there every step of the way.”
The hard work and playing a national travel schedule with Club Fusion has paid off. Genke recently surpassed 1,000 career assists for the Storm and is planning on making her college choice by the end of the month.
“It just truly means that all of the dedication and hard work I put in is coming out and people are starting to see it,” Genke said. “All the time and the hours, I’m so happy with the work I put in.”
South Elgin coach Jesse Bossenga understands a milestone like 1,000 career assists doesn’t come around very often, so he’s impressed. He’s only been around for three of her four varsity seasons, but he knows the talent he has on his hands.
“That’s a great milestone,” Bossenga said of Genke. “When you see it, you know you have an athlete that’s put in a lot of time and is a great player and a great leader.
“It’s been great to see her grow and develop.”
Part of being a setter is running the show and keeping everybody calm and on the same page. It’s even more important when your best attacker is a freshman, as is the case with outside hitter Camryn Boyd.
Genke has evolved into a true leader, and having Boyd to mold is something she doesn’t take lightly. Since they both play at the same club, they already had a bond coming into the season.
“I’m excited to be working with her,” Genke said. “As a setter, that’s my goal. We already have a connection. Putting us together on this team is like we’ve already played. She’s my go-to hitter.
“When we’re on the court, I don’t feel the age difference at all. It’s amazing.”
For her part, Boyd is grateful to have a veteran setter guiding her into varsity life.
“Paige is just there to always cheer me up when I’m in my head,” Boyd said. “She’s calming on the court. It’s nice to be comfortable with her getting me the ball.”
Bossenga believes the combination of youth and experience is a positive for the Storm (7-3).
“Some of the feeling out was done before,” Bossenga said. “They can just fine-tune instead of coming in from scratch. They already have a little bit of that taken care of, which is good.”
Genke is excited to finalize her college plans in the coming weeks. Just like her 1,000-assist milestone, that will be another indication all of her work and sacrifice was worth it.
“I’m hoping that it will feel like a weight will be lifted off my chest,” Genke said. “My coaches didn’t just shape me as a player, they also shaped me as a person and taught me life lessons I would have never learned without volleyball.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
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