Everyone's a Tiger this week at PHS

Former Princeton Tigress Jaimie Pearson (left) and former Hall Lady Devil standout Jenna Luck (right) talk to campers during Monday’s first session of the Princeton volleyball camp. (BCR photo/Kevin Hieronymus)

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PRINCETON — Andy Puck has put out a wealth of volleyball talents at Princeton High School, capped by the 2008 cast, which brought home a fourth-place trophy from the 2A state tournament.

But on Monday, he was really licking his chops over the collection of talent he assembled for his camp staff for the start of the 2009 Princeton High School volleyball camp.

For starters, he brought back two senior members of last year’s state squad, Leah Shaw and Tara Bonucci, all well known by the younger campers in attendance this week.

Throw into the mix three former first-team NCIC players in Erin Polte and Jenna Luck from Hall High School and Jazzmyne Robbins of LaSalle-Peru, plus 2007 graduate Jaimie Pearson ... and Puck was ready to suit ’em all up and play some volleyball.

“What a group! I wish I could have had them (all) play for me. There’s a lot of wins, put it that way,” Puck said.

Puck said it doesn’t matter what color of uniform the girls wore in high school when it comes to teaching the game.

“You got Hall kids and L-P kids; both them have kicked our butts last few years here and there,” he said. “If they have something they can demonstrate to the kids, they can demonstrate to the kids. I try to give the kids good instruction. They were leaders of their teams.”

The two former Hall Lady Devils, Polte and Luck, didn’t even mind stepping into enemy territory.

“It’s not home, but I’m comfortable with it,” Luck said. “They just tried to get me to say, ‘Tigers,’ and I couldn’t do it.”

“I’ve known Puck for a really long time, so I’m pretty comfortable doing it,” Polte said. “It’s not Hall, so it feels kind of weird not helping out at my high school. But they didn’t ask me to, so here I am.”

Polte said she knows some of the Princeton girls from club ball and ASA softball.

Luck said it’s a fun experience because she hasn’t helped at a camp before.

“It’s really cool to help the girls, correct them, and it’s always fun because you get to see them get better,” said Luck, who is transferring from Lincoln College to Augustana College this fall to continue her volleyball career. “It’s always good to be around volleyball.”

Former PHS standout Amanda Prostko will join the staff Wednesday. She will return to the volleyball team at North Park University in Chicago with the arrival of a new coach there after switching over to soccer for a season.

Of the six staffers in camp Monday, all but one, Bonucci, will continue to play volleyball in college.

Shaw is heading to Illinois Central College in East Peoria.

Polte will be across the Mississippi River to play volleyball and softball at Graceland University, Puck’s alma mater, in Lamoni, Iowa. She knows exactly when that next step of her career commences.

“Aug. 15 at 9 a.m.,” she said.

Pearson is transferring to Judson University to resume her volleyball career after a year away from the game.

Robbins will play for St. Francis University in Joliet, teaming up with former Hall Lady Devils Kelsey Polte and Kara Decker. She led the Lady Cavaliers to a dominating win over the Tigresses at Prouty Gym last season, one that Puck and the Tigresses never forgot, but one that did propel down the postseason trail.

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