This has been something I’ve been working for since the summer... I really wanted to break the school record and I set my mind to it.”

Taelynn Rodeghero

BYRON — Rochelle senior Taelynn Rodeghero was a freshman when she shared the volleyball court with former Lady Hub standout and current Eastern Illinois University athlete Sylvia Hasz. As a newcomer to the varsity team and someone who had only been playing volleyball for a short time, Rodeghero learned under the senior leadership of Hasz, who by her last year at RTHS was a two-time All-Conference honoree and an MVP award winner for the Lady Hubs.

Hasz concluded her time at RTHS as the volleyball program’s all-time record holder for career kills with 644. That changed on Saturday afternoon, as Rodeghero surpassed Hasz’s record after a strong individual performance during the Byron Invitational, where she collected 51 kills over five matches and led the Lady Hubs to wins over Byron and Forreston. Now a senior herself, Rodeghero has stepped into the leadership role that Hasz once held at RTHS.

“This has been something I’ve been working for since the summer,” Rodeghero said. “Sylvia’s strongest skill on the court was her volleyball IQ and the way she thought about the game. She knew where to hit the ball and where to set the ball. She shared that knowledge with me and she had positive energy all of the time. It didn’t matter if we were losing or playing bad, she was constantly encouraging everyone. That rubbed off on me and now that I’m a senior, I want to help all of the girls, freshmen through seniors. I want them to grow throughout their journey.”

Rodeghero officially broke the record in Rochelle’s first match of the tournament, recording 14 kills to lead the Lady Hubs over the Tigers 25-17, 25-17. Junior Meredith Bruns dished out 17 assists and senior Dempsey Atkinson totaled six digs for the Lady Hubs, who followed their opening-round win with a 25-19, 25-22 victory against Forreston, with Rodeghero notching six kills and eight digs. Rodeghero, who had minimal experience playing volleyball before high school, attributed her record-setting success on the court to her offseason work, which has included more time in the weight room and with the VC United club volleyball program.

“I knew I really had to grind in the weight room and in the gym,” Rodeghero said. “I really wanted to break the school record and I set my mind to it. It feels like a breath of fresh air and I’m really proud of myself and my coaches, teammates and parents for pushing me… It’s been about my mindset and both my family and my coaches have taught me how to be strong mentally so I could persevere through tough situations during the game. I’ve gained more knowledge about the game, but it’s my mindset that’s allowed me to become a better player.”

Rochelle finished second in its pool after concluding the pool round with a 24-26, 15-25 loss against Fulton. Despite a promising start to the tournament, Rochelle was unable to build on its early momentum, conceding a 23-25, 25-20, 9-15 loss to Genoa-Kingston before bowing out with a 17-25, 19-25 loss against Milledgeville to end the tournament in eighth place. The Lady Hubs were without senior setter Ali Ohlinger, who’s out with a knee injury. With Ohlinger sidelined, Rodeghero will only see her already large role on the team continue to grow.

“Ali is a huge role model and leader on the team,” Rodeghero said. “I know I need to be there for the rest of the team and it’s tough to lose a big part of our team, but we need to think about how to persevere and grow through that. She’s still helping us from the sideline and I think we’re going to grow stronger as a team. I think we’ll figure out a way to get through it.”

One player who stepped up alongside Rodeghero was Bruns, who had 12 assists against Fulton before adding 18 assists against both Genoa-Kingston and Milledgeville. Rochelle (9-6, 0-0 Interstate 8) will begin conference play against Sycamore at home on Tuesday night.