Copyright Chicago Tribune
The place will be the same for Lockport, but the view will be very different this weekend for junior libero Emma Consigny. She mostly watched as a sophomore call-up for the Porters last season when they took third place in the state in Class 4A. This time, she’s a big reason why they are going back. And she won’t be doing much sitting. “Honestly, last season I was just so ready to cheer for my team and be supportive,” Consigny said. “It’s such an amazing environment to be around. It’s even better that I’ll get to play.” She was the top defensive player on the floor Monday night for the Porters in a 27-25, 25-22 victory over Oak Park-River Forest in the Hinsdale Central Supersectional match. Bridget Ferriter led the way for Lockport (33-7) with 11 kills and Hutsyn Timosciek tallied nine. Consigny made 14 digs, while Kate Nelson added seven. Natalie Bochantin had 17 assists. Emmi Bozarth paced Oak Park-River Forest (26-8) with 10 kills, but the Porters advanced to play at 7 p.m. Friday in a state semifinal against Benet (38-2) at CEFCU Arena in Normal. The ultimate hero Monday, though, was Timosciek. She had a clutch streak of five consecutive kills in the first game to bring the Porters back from an 18-14 deficit for a 19-18 lead. “My blood was pumping,” Timosciek said, smiling. “I wanted to do anything to win. I wasn’t nervous. I knew that in the end we were going to pull it out one way or another.” For a good chunk of her playing career, Consigny was an outside hitter. She has been finding a new volleyball home for herself as a libero. “I was an outside for seven years with my sister before I realized I was too short,” Consigny said. “We have really good hitters here, so they didn’t need me to hit. “I decided that I could play better on defense, so I made the transition.” Megan Consigny, who also played at defensive specialist and libero for Lockport, graduated in 2024. That fall, Emma made the switch. Lockport coach Nick Mraz was more than on board. “Emma was strong as an outside because of how well she passed,” Mraz said. “We never really talked about, ‘Hey, we need you do that,’ but she kind of did at club and that’s where we saw her. “By the time she was trying out for varsity, that’s where we had her.” Consigny was nails on defense for the Porters in their come-from-behind win over Joliet West for the sectional title, especially on the passing end. “They served her 32 times and she passed a 2.16 out of 3 for us,” Mraz said. “So more often than not, we’re able to set two hitters at a time and sometimes the middle as well. “Emma makes it hard on the defense. You can’t really cheat when we’re staying in system. And when she’s passing, we’re in system more often than not.” Consigny is part of a solid one-two defensive punch along with Nelson. “It’s really fun working with Emma,” Nelson said. “We’ve been friends for a long time. She actually got me into volleyball and we’ve had like eight years together. We know how to work with each other, especially back row with crossing, defense and serve receive. We trust each other a lot. “Emma is such a positive person. She’s always willing to work harder. She’s always the first one at practice and willing to try new things.” Including standing out at state. “Honestly, it would mean the world to win it all,” Consigny said. “We’ve put in so much effort. I just want it to pay off.” Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
