Wyciskalla To Spike The Competition At Rend Lake
Vanessa Wyciskalla signed to play volleyball at Rend Lake College after graduation. Wyciskalla is seated between her parents Terry and Renee Wyciskalla. Back Row from left to right: NCHS Principal Mark Begando, NCHS Athletic Director Alicia Heggemeier, Rend Lake College Volleyball Coach Reggie Bateman, NCHS Hornettes JV Volleyball Coach Nick Ramsay, and NCHS Hornettes Volunteer Volleyball Coach Dale Flick.
By Brent Huelsmann
Another NCHS senior will be continuing their athletic pursuits at the college level. Vanessa Wyciskalla has signed to play volleyball at Rend Lake College in the fall. Wyciskalla joins former NCHS volleyball player Alexandria Kubiak on the Lady Warriors.
As for why Wyciskalla chose Rend Lake, Vanessa talked about the Architecture program, which is what she plans to study after high school.
Wyciskalla was a key player for the Hornettes this season in which Nashville finished the year with a 19-14 record. Wyciskalla finished the season fifth on the Hornettes with 58 kills. Wyciskalla finished the season with 61 digs, nine aces and eight blocks for the Hornettes.
“Just a lot of passing skills and hitting. It goes up a lot that I have been told, so I am just ready for that.”
The Rend Lake Lady Warriors will be under new leadership this season as Reggie Bateman was recently hired to lead the team. Bateman took over on March 27.
Bateman talked about what Wyciskalla brings to the program. “Whenever I had open gym, or open tryouts with Vanessa I noticed that she was really good on the outside. One of the things that I think she can bring to the table is that she can use her left hand and her right hand. Now it’s basically just fine tuning it to make her that really good right side player because basically when you have a right side player, you want them to use their left hand. What Vanessa brings to the table is that she is just as powerful with both hands so you have a double weapon. And she hustles her butt off. Like I said once again it’s just, fine tuning, being around a new coach, obviously she is going to be nervous, but I feel like she is going to be a good asset to the team especially on the right side.”
Although Bateman says the plan right now is for Wyciskalla to be on the right side, nothing is set. “Not necessarily. That’s what I’m looking at but who knows she could play some outside, maybe play some back row. Right now I just look at the right side, it could switch up, nothing is set in stone right now, because you have a new team so just have to move the pieces where they fit.
Rend Lake plays in the Great Rivers Athletic Conference. The Lady Warriors finished with a record of 6-29 last season with a 3-7 record in conference play. Wyciskalla will look help the Lady Warriors next season, as they look to better that record.
Wyciskalla is planning on studying architecture, and studying interior design after that.
