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MINOOKA – Sometimes, opportunity presents itself at perfect moments.
When Carrie Prosek left the Minooka boys program for maternity leave, her whole family knew she would make her way back to coaching high school eventually.
Almost every year, at least one head coaching position in the Joliet area has been open. Coaching at the club level didn’t feel the same, so Prosek was ready to jump back in.
There was one requirement, however.
“I would never leave Minooka. I love teaching at Minooka,” Prosek said. “I love working at Minooka. I love the sports, the program, the community involvement. I would never leave.
“My family is very big into volleyball. My husband was always ready for this opportunity as well for me to get back into high school. Honestly, I like coaching club, but I love coaching high school. Minooka High School, the community is an amazing sports community.”
Waiting for the right position has paid finally off. Prosek was named Minooka’s new girls varsity volleyball coach.
Unlike many coaches who start working with a new team, Prosek won’t really need time to adjust to new surroundings. She is a physical education teacher and an athletic conditioning coach, so she has interacted with many Minooka athletes.
On top of that, Prosek has watched the Minooka teams and knows how Chris Hoelscher ran the program.
“[Hoelscher] ran a very good program,” Prosek said. “She was a very good coach, and we’re similar, kind of. I watched her coach through the years, and I’ve had several good conversations with her. I highly respect how she ran the program. I’m walking in where it’s already developed. I don’t have to restart the program because she did a good job.”
Because she doesn’t have to change the program, Prosek just has to add to it.
Before her new position at Minooka, Prosek coached UNO Volleyball Club’s 14 Elite girls team and 17 Elite boys team, was the graduate assistant at Missouri-Kansas City, and was the club director for Adrenaline Volleyball Club.
Before the Joliet Central grad began coaching, she played at Charleston Southern University as an outside hitter and a middle blocker. Most hitting positions aren’t known for their defense, but Prosek holds the school record for digs.
Because defense played such a big part of her game in college, it makes sense she emphasizes that part now.
“A lot of people focus on hitters,” Prosek said. “But I’m huge on you can’t have an offense if you don’t have a defense. I’ll focus big on that.”
Defense and serve receive are Prosek’s main focus right now, and it’s a spot she has to fill. One of the four starters last year who graduated was the libero. She also needs to fill a setter, right side and middle position.
Camp just has started, so players are fighting to fill those spots. Minooka’s freshman and sophomore teams both were successful, and the freshman team went undefeated. Each spot is up for grabs.
One thing Prosek doesn’t need to worry about right now is someone reliable to put the ball away.
Minooka already has firepower because it is returning Ginger Perinar and Emily Hise. Perinar, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter, totaled 348 kills and was a Herald-News All-Area first team player, and Hise is a well-rounded middle who can hit and block.
After losing in a close match to Normal Community in a sectional semifinal, the two returning starters are ready to lead the team far with the other seniors.
Even though Prosek is focused on picking the remaining positions and making sure the team bonds, winning has to be on the back of her mind because it’s in her family.
Her husband, Mike, played at Lewis and made it to the final four. Her father, Mike O’Connell, was the head basketball coach at several Joliet Township programs for 25 years. And her nephew, Kyler van Rossum-O’Connell – a Herald-News first team player – was a part of the Joliet West squad that stunned many teams in the area and made it to supersectionals.
The list goes on, with brothers Rory and Coley, cousins, uncles and her grandfather being among the other family members who have enjoyed success both as coaches and athletes.
The whole family has excelled in the area, and Prosek did well as the Minooka boys coach years ago and with the UNO 17 Elite team this year as they took 11th in open at Nationals.
Now it’s her time to shine as Minooka’s girls head coach. She’s taking it one moment at a time, however.
“I’m very excited,” Prosek said. “It was perfect timing. I wasn’t looking for the job to open. I applied when it did. [Hoelscher] left me with a nice program, a very young program, but they had a phenomenal freshman team last year and, obviously, a phenomenal varsity team.”
“Our goal for every Minooka volleyball teams is to win conference. We have a tough conference, but we’re always up there. I want to take it one step at a time because we have only a few returning starters.”