Olson earned it

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Sycamore senior Brittany Olson had eight kills in the Spartans’ regional opening win against last year’s state runner-up, Burlington Central last Thursday. The Spartans play Sterling – who they beat 25-11, 25-7 this season, Tuesday. (Rob Winner – rwinner@daily-chronicle.com)

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SYCAMORE – As a freshman, playing time came easy for Brittany Olson. No one else on the Sycamore volleyball team really wanted to play middle, so she played three rotations a match there.

It wasn't until her sophomore year – when the Spartans made the state final four – that Olson learned what it was like to sit the bench and earn her time.

That year was what molded her. That year is what inspired Olson to be the hitter she is today, as she helps lead the Spartans (31-6) into a 7 p.m. Class 3A Rochelle Sectional semifinal match against Sterling today.

"I became an outside hitter and had to fight for my position," Olson said. "I feel like, by my junior year, that I earned it."

But those lessons she learned as a freshman middle still have come in handy this season. Olson has improved her passing and hitting since those days, but now she is even more versatile because of that experience.

"Outside hitters need to pass and she's improved that a lot in the last two years," Sycamore coach Debbie Klock said.

The Spartans like to move players around when things aren't working, and that has meant Olson has moved from the outside to middle and right positions fluently all season, keeping opposing teams guessing where she'll end up next.

"If she can't score on the outside like that, we're going to move them around," Klock said.

Olson did that well with eight kills in the Spartans' regional opening win against last year's state runner-up, Burlington Central, and then their preparation showed in a regional final win against top-seeded Hampshire.

Tonight, they hope that preparation will show again against a Sterling team the Spartans beat, 25-11, 25-7, in the Sterling Invite championship match on Oct. 3.

"We've always had strong hitters, throughout the past, but this year we're switching it around a lot more," Olson said. "We have strong hitters, not just in one position, but putting them in other positions."

The Spartans use a rotation of just eight players – seniors Olson, Stephanie Huber, Kaitlyn Roach, Sarah Verkler, Kate Binder and Justine Schepler along with juniors Evyn McCoy and Jill Johnson – and the movement helps them keep the players fresh with such a small team.

"We're really quick. compared to most teams, we move faster," Olson said. "We've got small numbers, with eight juniors and seniors combined, so that keeps a lot of consistency on the team."

Klock waits to see how each team is defending her Spartans before deciding how they will rotate their hitters. Against Hampshire, the Whip-Purs keyed on Evyn McCoy so Olson got many of the looks.

"The game plan was for Evyn not to get set but to draw the block," Klock said. "We'll just see where they go. If they follow Evyn, we'll go to [Olson]. If they follow [Olson], we'll go to Evyn."

Class 3A Rochelle Sectional

Today
Marian Central Catholic vs. Freeport, 6 p.m.

Sterling vs. Sycamore, 7 p.m.

Thursday
Championship match, 7 p.m.
Winner advances to the Sterling Super-Sectional on Saturday

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