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28 | March 26, 2020 | the mokena messenger sports<br />
mokenamessengerdaily.com<br />
Athlete of the Week<br />
10 Questions<br />
with Matt Stillman<br />
Matt Stillman is a senior<br />
at Lincoln-Way Central<br />
and an outside hitter for<br />
the Knights boys volleyball<br />
team.<br />
The start of the<br />
upcoming season is on<br />
hold because of the<br />
coronavirus. What are<br />
your thoughts on that?<br />
I’m just trying to stay<br />
positive. Trying to think of<br />
things I’m grateful for, and<br />
pick up friends who are<br />
down. It’s kind of crazy,<br />
all of it.<br />
How did you get<br />
started playing<br />
volleyball?<br />
I’ve been playing since<br />
eighth grade. I’ve played<br />
club every year since then.<br />
My cousin, Sam Gorecki<br />
who is my age and is a libero<br />
on our team here at<br />
Central, played. So I wanted<br />
to play, too. He went to<br />
Martino and I went to Mokena<br />
Junior High, so we<br />
were rivals. I used to play<br />
soccer until eighth grade<br />
but now it’s just volleyball.<br />
What is it about<br />
volleyball that makes<br />
it the sport for you?<br />
I’ve made good friends<br />
playing it. I just love the<br />
competitiveness of it. But<br />
it’s mostly being with your<br />
teammates and having<br />
leadership with them.<br />
What have you learned<br />
from Central volleyball<br />
Photo submitted<br />
coach Mary Brown?<br />
I’ve learned a lot from<br />
her. She makes us work<br />
hard at practice. She<br />
makes us mentally tough.<br />
I’ve learned to be a leader<br />
because she teaches life<br />
lessons too.<br />
Do you have a favorite<br />
moment so far playing<br />
for the Knights?<br />
Yes, it’s actually our loss<br />
to [eventual state champion]<br />
Marist in last season’s<br />
sectional semifinal<br />
[at Marist]. Even though<br />
we lost [25-18, 26-24]<br />
we worked really closely<br />
together [being the only<br />
team that took Marist past<br />
25 points all postseason]<br />
and played our best match<br />
of the year.<br />
What do you do to<br />
pump yourself up<br />
before a match?<br />
Before a club match, I<br />
play on Ultimate 18 Gold,<br />
I listen to music. But in<br />
high school, we get in a<br />
circle and talk about what<br />
to focus on and that’s what<br />
3<br />
really gets you into the<br />
match.<br />
If you could be any<br />
superhero, who would<br />
you be and why?<br />
The Flash. Because he’s<br />
really fast and I could<br />
get to my block sooner. I<br />
would be able to close the<br />
block and get the ball up.<br />
If you could meet any<br />
person in the world,<br />
living or dead, who<br />
would it be and why?<br />
Walt Disney. My family<br />
likes Disney a lot. It would<br />
have been cool to meet<br />
him and see what went<br />
on in his head to make the<br />
whole Disney franchise.<br />
Are you going to play<br />
volleyball in college?<br />
Yes. I’ve already committed<br />
to Trine University<br />
in Angola, Indiana. I did<br />
that last October. The volleyball<br />
coaches and the<br />
team are really cool. But<br />
they also have a really good<br />
engineering program and<br />
I’m going to study that.<br />
What’s the best<br />
thing about being an<br />
athlete at Lincoln-Way<br />
Central?<br />
Probably the competition<br />
that you get here. But<br />
also the teammates in general<br />
and the environment<br />
for the athletes in general.<br />
Interview by Freelance Reporter<br />
Randy Whalen.<br />
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