Senior middle blocker Allison Seebach found a few unique ways to make the most of her final season with the Rochelle Township High School volleyball program.

Seebach was unfortunately sidelined with injuries twice throughout the 2019 campaign, with the second injury keeping her on the bench for the final portion of the regular season and postseason. However, Seebach managed to stay active with the team, using her time on the bench to build up her relationship with assistant coach Lindsay Suess and senior teammate Gabrielle Harding, who was also out of the Rochelle lineup with an injury.

“Even though I was injured, Gabby was also injured, so we would sit together and watch our practices and matches,” Seebach said. “We would throw volleyballs all over to see who would notice, and during each match, we would sit and talk with coach Suess… What I enjoyed most about my time with Rochelle volleyball was how close we all were off the court. We all shared so many inside jokes and we could talk to each other about anything.”

Although Seebach didn’t see the floor much her senior season, she started at middle blocker when healthy, finishing 2019 with 16 kills, five blocks, five digs and Academic All-Conference honors from the Interstate 8. A four-year player for the Lady Hubs, Seebach peaked during her junior season, when she totaled 19 blocks for the varsity team and helped anchor a Rochelle squad that advanced to the IHSA 3A Regional Finals against eventual state champion Sterling.

“One of my favorite moments was when we played Sterling at the regional championship last season,” Seebach said. “We all knew Sterling had an amazing team, but that didn’t stop us from playing hard and making it a very close match… RTHS volleyball helped me improve all of my skills. My hitting and blocking improved dramatically from my freshman season to my senior season. Even though I hit and block a lot, I thought my passing improved as well.”

Seebach, who also earned Academic All-Conference recognition in 2018, began playing volleyball at St. Paul Lutheran School in fifth grade. She had been looking forward to taking up the sport at an early age, but she had no idea she would eventually fall in love with the sport. After high school, Seebach said she will be attending Kishwaukee College to begin studying finance before transferring to finish her education at a four-year school.

“RTHS volleyball taught me to work hard, no matter what, on and off the court,” Seebach said. “I always tried to work hard in school because our coaches always told us that trying hard in school is as important as trying and working hard in volleyball.”