Metea Valley’s Raina Parekh is serious about classical Indian dancing as well as volleyball.
And that worried Mustangs coach Dave Macdonald a little bit during the offseason. He couldn’t imagine the idea of the undersized junior middle hitter not being on the varsity again.
“I didn’t know if she was going to come back because she’s such a great dancer,” Macdonald said of Parekh. “She’s really into the dancing portion of it. We wondered if she was coming back.
“We had girls in her ear, asking her to come back.”
Parekh did, indeed, return to play volleyball for Metea. And she’s hoping to keep the Mustangs dancing toward success as they are aim for another big season.
Metea (12-4), seeded fourth in the 24-team Wheaton Classic, opened with a 25-22, 25-22 win over Plainfield North before losing 25-20, 25-19 to Prairie Ridge at the Great Lakes Center in Aurora.
In pool play at Wheaton Warrenville South, 19th-seeded Waubonsie Valley (5-5) beat third-seeded Lincoln-Way East 25-16, 15-25, 25-18 and 14th-seeded Lemont 25-18, 23-25, 25-22.
Waubonsie qualified for the Gold Division. Yorkville defeated Oswego East 19-25, 25-23, 25-20 to reach the Silver Division. Rosary, Geneva and Oswego East all ended up in the Bronze.
Parekh, meanwhile, has been involved in dancing for eight years and hopes to maybe run her own studio one day. She started taking an interest in volleyball during the pandemic.
“It started out as a little boredom sport and I was like, ‘You know what? I really like this,”’ she said. “It helped me to be more of a team player and adjust to new things.”
She started playing recreationally in Aurora, then started playing club for Team One. She played in grade school for Granger and is now making an impact for Metea.
And don’t let her 5-foot-9 size fool you. She’s an effective middle hitter who was thrown into the mix when Eastern Michigan recruit Olivia Stewart was injured during the postseason in 2024.
“She is so explosive and quick and was a pleasant surprise last year,” Macdonald said of Parekh. “We knew she was going to be OK and she earned her spot on the varsity.
“She got her feet wet last year, and when Liv went down in our regional championship match, she filled in some huge shoes and played really well.”
Parekh said she’s not sure if her future is in dancing or volleyball because she loves them both.
“I love the volleyball environment and the energy that teams can bring,” she said. “I like the teamwork, and volleyball can be a stress reliever at the end of the day.
“It’s the same with dancing. I get to see my girls, it’s a stress reliever and you can be creative.”
She said Indian dancing goes back to the roots of her culture and she loves how she can tell stories in that manner. But she also enjoys playing for Metea Valley’s girls volleyball program.
It’s been a good decade for the Mustangs, who won a state championship with a 40-2 record in 2021 and followed it up with records of 25-9, 28-9 and 28-9. Parekh wants to keep that going.
“We all click and we bring energy on the court,” she said. “Everyone on the bench gets so excited. Everyone overall is supportive of each other and wants the best out of everyone and the team.”
Macdonald is also happy he’s getting the best out of Parekh, who is looking forward to playing Minooka at 8 a.m. Saturday in the Silver Division quarterfinals at Wheaton Warrenville South.
“Raina is a fierce volleyball player, but she’s also the sweetest person,” Macdonald said. “She loves the game and loves her teammates.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.