GA_070519

28 | July 5, 2019 | The glencoe anchor sports
glencoeanchor.com
going places
Gillian Klise, a New Trier graduate, will play collegiate volleyball at the University of
Rhode Island next season. 22nd Century Media File Photo
Education key in
Klise’s choice of URI
Michael Wojtychiw
Sports Editor
The New Trier girls volleyball
team is graduating
one of its most successful
classes in program history.
This year’s senior class
alone saw four players
earn Division I scholarships
and next year’s team
will feature two more Division
I recruits, as well as
a Division III recruit.
The Trevians saw the
majority of their lineup
either start or play major
roles on the varsity squad
for the last three years,
one of those players being
middle hitter/blocker Gillian
Klise.
Klise joins her teammates
as one of the four
off to play Division I volleyball
after committing to
the University of Rhode Island
and signing her letter
of intent this past spring.
“When I visited the
school, I walked around
the campus, and I absolutely
loved everything
about it. It was beautiful,”
Klise said. “I loved all of
the facilities there. I loved
the education because I
want to major in elementary
education, and I loved
what they had to offer for
elementary ed students,
and I just loved the way
the coach taught volleyball
and the way we did
strengths and conditioning,
and I loved the team
and everything about it.”
Klise, who has been
playing volleyball since elementary
school, knew she
had the opportunity to play
college volleyball when
she stepped onto the court
with the varsity squad her
sophomore year.
As one of the younger
players on the squad, she
had the fortune of playing
with Callie Fauntleroy,
who is currently at George
Washington University
and a future opponent as
the Colonials and Rams
are both members of the
Atlantic 10 Conference.
Fauntleroy helped get
Klise acclimated to the
varsity level and also inspired
her to play at the
next level, encouraging
her every step of the way.
Playing three years on
the varsity squad is something
Klise feels has prepared
her for the rigors of
Division I volleyball.
“It’s really prepared me
to never give up and always
work hard no matter
what because when
you’re on the floor, it’s just
about that game and nothing
else,” she said. “So I
think it’s prepared me to
basically work hard for everything
and just not take
anything for granted.”
The last couple years
Please see klise, 26
Alumni spotlight
Conway bursts onto scene at Caldwell
Michael Wojtychiw
Sports Editor
Loyola Academy alumna
Nora Conway had a successful
high school career,
one where she earned
22nd Century Media’s first
Softball Player of the Year
award.
She kept that success
going this past season as a
freshman at Caldwell University,
racking up numerous
awards and having an
extremely successful freshman
campaign at the New
Jersey school.
“Basic drills, doing
those, and throughout being
on the varsity team for
four years I got to see all
different sorts of pitchers,”
Conway said. “So that definitely
helped with the transition
(to college) because
there were some very similar
pitchers how I would
face in high school in our
games in college.”
She was selected as the
NFCA Second Team All-
Region, D2CCA First Team
All-Region honors, CACC
Rookie of the Year and was
a CACC First Team All-
Conference pick. She was
a three-time CACC Rookie
of the Week selection this
season.
“I was really shocked
about it because I had
these great seasons in high
school and I felt like this
season, it was around there,
but I didn’t think it was like
an all star season,” Conway
said about winning multiple
awards. “So to hear
that I got that, I was really
shocked because I had so
many other players on my
team that had had great seasons
just like me.”
Conway spent a majority
of the time at the top of
the order and was second
on the team with a .385
batting average and led
the Cougars with 48 runs
scored, 77 hits, 33 RBI, 17
stolen bases and six triples.
She added 14 doubles and
posted a slugging percentage
of .545. The numbers
were all good for top 11 in
the conference as she finished
seventh in the CACC
in average, 11th in slugging,
ninth in stolen bases,
tied for ninth in RBI, tied
for first in triples, third in
doubles, second in hits and
third in runs scored.
For a freshman, batting
leadoff can be tricky, something
Conway admitted.
“At first I didn’t know
how my college team, how
they wanted to play it, like
if they wanted us to take
pitches so that everyone
can see it, and like that
sort of idea behind it,” she
said. “So like it was weird
adjusting at first, but then
once after a few games had
gone by I felt very comfortable
being there.”
An interesting part of
Conway’s recruitment was
that her coach at Caldwell
Please see conway, 26
Caldwell University’s Nora Conway, a Loyola alumna, prepares for a pitch during the
2019 softball season. Caldwell University Athletics