volleyball team. (David P. Funk/H-F Chronicle)
LaDonna Trantham can do a little bit of everything on the volleyball court.
The Homewood-Flossmoor senior player is on the right side for her club team. She’s played middle in the past at H-F. She’s on the outside, in the back, basically everywhere for the Vikings this season.
“I think that experience is something that not everybody has, so I like to capitalize on that and use my knowledge,” Trantham said. “I want to be aggressive and competitive. I feel like I’m very competitive but I’m good at keeping my composure during (tense) situations.”
Some of that comes from her background in gymnastics. That was her first sport, which she began at about six years old and didn’t give it up until she was 11. She thinks it helped her develop her strength, which she considers an asset, as well as her vertical leap.
“I feel like that gave me an upper hand,” Trantham said. “Anyone I told (about my gymnastics background) was like ‘That makes so much sense.’ It goes hand-in-hand with agility in everything. Gymnastics is really the base of all of that, upper core strength, lower body strength, everything.”
That athleticism was on display as Trantham stuffed the stat boxes during the Vikings’ 25-21, 25-12 win over Hinsdale South on Sept. 4. She had 11 kills, three digs, an ace and a block while playing all over the court despite not feeling 100 percent.
“She’s basically been our best player for three if not four years,” Coach Bob St. Leger said. “We want her to touch the ball as much as possible. She jumps great, and everybody sees how well she serves and plays at the net, but her all-around game has come a long way the last few years.”
Trantham is listed at 5-foot-7. That’s not short, but it’s certainly not tall for a volleyball player. So her ability to get up, be strong and move quickly is even more important than it is for some others.
“I feel like what carries my game is my athleticism because I’m not the biggest player. I’m also not the smallest player, so it’s kind of hard to find a position,” she said. “When you take on that outside position, it’s definitely important to take on that athleticism so you can keep up with the rest of the girls that are bigger than you.”
That’s why she’ll be playing Division I college volleyball at California State – Bakersfield. She fell in love with the Golden State and the Roadrunners coaching staff on her visit. She also considered South Florida and Florida A&M.
The plan at the next level is to play mostly on the outside and major in kinesiology. She wants to be an athletic trainer.
“I want to leave the cold weather so bad it doesn’t even make sense,” she said. “It was just a real family feel (in Bakersfield), and that’s definitely what I was looking for.”
There’s still some work to do in the Midwest, though.
Trantham said she’s not the only Viking to put time in the gym, and H-F feels like it’s a team with potential.
“I definitely want to try to make it down to state,” she said. “Once we’re down there, we can handle whatever business we have to.”
H-F looked good early and opened the season 6-2. But it started that Hinsdale South match slowly and at one point even trailed in the first set. It quickly took control and cruised through much of the second, though.
“We didn’t really take care of business until the second half of the second set but good teams find a way to win and we think we’re a pretty good team,” St. Leger said. “Hopefully we can continue to do that. The competition gets harder and harder as we go along.”
The SouthWest Suburban Conference slate on the horizon. St. Leger said his team needs to find a way to be more consistent before it runs into schools like Lincoln-Way East and Lockport. But he believes it’s up to the challenge.
“I think we’re a long ways from where we can be and hopefully where we get,” St. Leger said. “Our conference is tough. We’re going to have to get there because if we don’t, nobody’s feeling sorry for us.”