At 6-feet tall, Marist freshman Haven Enselman has the height to be a hitter.
She actually plays right-side hitter at times for her club team.
But coach Jordan Vidovic uses her as a setter. And if you ask her, it’s right where she belongs.
“Oh, I love it,” Enselman said. “I couldn’t imagine, really, playing any other position. I just like being able to feed the hitters and see them shine.”
It has been a feeding frenzy this season for Enselman, and it’s only the beginning of what could be a historic career.
She added to her gaudy numbers Wednesday night for the host RedHawks in a 25-15, 25-14 nonconference victory over Minooka in Chicago.
Mississippi State commit Cassidy Cage led the way for Marist (29-5) with nine kills and two blocks. Michigan recruit Maggie Kurpeikis and Davenport-bound Savanah Weathers added six kills apiece, while Maryland recruit Alayna Davidson made eight digs.
Wednesday against Minooka (23-11), Enselman dished the ball here, there and everywhere, totaling 28 assists. She also had two blocks and three digs.
“Her age does not show,” Vidovic said. “How she has played is not something you would ever expect or ever predict. She has been fearless from the beginning.
“She is capable of things she’s not even showing in games yet. Her upside level is unreal high in a way I’ve never seen before on the girls side.”
Her potential to dominate both the Marist and Illinois High School Association record books is right up there as well.
Counting Wednesday’s match, Enselman has 849 assists for the season. If Marist makes a deep run in the state playoffs, she could easily pass the 1,000 mark.
Times that by four and Enselman could finish her high school career with more than 4,000 assists. Sandburg’s Sarah Kwasigroch (2001-04) is the IHSA’s current career record holder with 3,659. Molly Murrihy (2015-17) is Marist’s all-time career assist leader with 3,075.
“It’s definitely been like a dream,” Enselman said. “I mean, a year ago today, I didn’t even know I was coming to Marist. Now, I couldn’t even imagine not coming here.”
Enselman is a Frankfort resident. It’s a bit of a hike, but …
“The volleyball, the program here, is like none other,” Enselman said. “When I finally decided, I knew it was the place I needed to be.”
Vidovic didn’t know much about Enselman when she arrived at his doorstep. But Kurpeikis did, and she was all for Enselman becoming a high school varsity teammate.
“I knew her in seventh grade,” Kurpeikis said. “We did lessons at the same place and we play on the same club team. She fit in here very quickly. She had a very calm presence on the court that’s really important for a setter to have, so I wasn’t super shocked when she got the starting spot.
“We’ve been working on her giving me a little bit more height in transition and she has done a great job adjusting to that. Even just mixing things up — she moves the ball around well.”
And the volleyball smarts? Vidovic heard a lot about it during Marist’s recent trip to Las Vegas.
“The people in Vegas from some of the best teams in the country were shocked,” Vidovic said. “When we said she was a freshman, they had no idea.
“She went up against two top five teams in a row, and was stuff-blocking and outsmarting their biggest All-American hitters. Coming off in timeouts, she’d be going over which plays to run and which hitters to go against — things you’d think she’d be 100 steps behind on as a freshman.”
The top step is there for the taking.
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
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