Chesterton sophomore volleyball player Zane Westerlund learning the finer points of the game as he gives crowds thrills with his high-flying kills

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

It happens all the time at Chesterton boys volleyball matches. No. 12, not as tall as many outside hitters, skies well above the net, buries a steep shot for a kill, and fans scramble for their lineup sheets to identify the player who just elevated the excitement in the room.
He is Zane Westerlund, a sophomore, and he wears No. 1 for the JV squad, switches jerseys, and gets some time with the varsity wearing No. 12.
Westerlund, in his second season of playing volleyball, was drawn to the game so that he could do what he does best: jump.
“I love jumping, and I love killing balls,” Westerlund said.
He watched his brother Thaddeus play and thought he would have fun trying it.
“It was completely new to me last year,” Westerlund said of volleyball. “I had no idea what it was like. I had no idea, and I’m still learning. I can get better at everything but blocking and passing are my main weaknesses.”
His kills are what provide the audience thrills. Becoming better at everything else will be what earns him a starting spot eventually at a position that gets hit hard by graduation. Westerlund, a linebacker in the fall, said he stands 6-foot-1, but his leaping ability allows him to play taller than that.
“We’ve been working with him to get him where he needs to be to be a starter on varsity,” boys head coach Kevin Labaj said. “He’s coming around on hitting so much, understands the game a lot more, and then now we’re just working on that blocking, and he’ll be an all-around volleyball player.”
Becoming a skilled blocker involves far more than leaping high enough, according to Westerlund: “I can get up there, but there at certain spots that you get to where I need to be pushing my hands out. Coach is telling me, ‘Push your hands out.’ I’ve got to get to the point where it’s second nature.”
During Tuesday night’s 3-1 win over Crown Point had a monster kill that got a rise out of the crowd.
“Big hit, huge hit,” Labaj said. “That’s what he’s known for. He’s a big killer, jumps-out-of-the-gym kind of player, real good at that.”
The win over Crown Point (9-10, 6-5, fourth in the DAC) pushed second-place Chesterton’s record to 19-3, 9-2. A tougher opponent visits tonight. Andrean has defeated the teams that account for all three Chesterton losses: two to Lake Central and one last Saturday to Bishop Noll at the Valparaiso tournament.