2023 Northwest Herald Girls Volleyball Coach of the Year: Woodstock’s Jimmy Neill

Not many expected the Blue Streaks to be in the position to compete for a Kishwaukee River Conference title after a fifth-place finish in 2022.

The Blue Streaks returned most of their team, minus the starting setter, but many players had little volleyball experience outside of high school.

Led by coach Jimmy Neill and standout outside hitter Hallie Steponaitis, Woodstock started the year with seven wins in its first eight matches. The Streaks reached 10 wins by the first week of September and appeared ready to compete with the KRC’s best.

Woodstock defeated crosstown rival Woodstock North twice during the regular season, but could not get past Richmond-Burton, which finished undefeated in the KRC at 14-0, while the Streaks took runner-up with a 12-2 record.

Woodstock went into the postseason as a No. 4 seed and defeated top-seeded Crystal Lake South 25-15, 26-24 to claim its first regional championship since 2006. In a highly-competitive sectional semifinal, the Streaks lost a heartbreaker to Prairie Ridge 25-21, 22-25, 28-26, ending their season with a 26-11 record.

For leading the Streaks to a memorable season, Neill was voted the 2023 Northwest Herald Girls Volleyball Coach of the Year by the sports staff with input from area coaches. Neill is the first coach from Woodstock to win the award. Richmond-Burton’s Mike Kamholz and Prairie Ridge’s Stefanie Otto also were considered.

Neill talked to sports writer Alex Kantecki about his proudest moments from the season, the turning point of the season, his most prized possession and more.

What are you most proud about from this season?

Neill: Probably bringing a regional championship to Woodstock and the way the girls came together and played as a team. Buying in right away and doing it with the talent level that we had when it comes to experience. I was going into the season probably thinking we were going to be a little bit above .500.

What was the turning point of the season?

Neill: Julia (Laidig) stepping into the setter role and really knocking it out of the park. She stepped into the setter role knowing we needed a setter. She came to me in camp and said, ‘I would like to try setting.’ I said, ‘If anyone can do it, you could.’ She’s got a great work ethic and works really hard. She leads by example, I would say. She puts the team first before anything. She’s played her true position her freshman year. Her sophomore year she played outside. Her junior year she set. Who knows what she’s going to do next year?

Is there a particular match you will remember this season?

Neill: I would say the Crystal Lake South regional (championship match) and the Prairie Ridge (sectional final match). I had parents coming up to me from Prairie Ridge saying that was the best match they’ve seen in like their lives. That was two of the best teams slugging it out. That makes me feel good for what my girls have accomplished and how far they have come.

What is your most prized possession?

Neill: My two daughters (Hallie and Harper) and having the time to see them play.

If you could change one thing about high school volleyball, what would it be?

Neill: I would say unlimited substitutions, so more girls can see the court. And five-set matches because that’s what they do in college and Wisconsin for high school. If we’re trying to get our kids ready for college and they play five sets, I would like to see that at the varsity level.

What’s the best piece of coaching advice you’ve ever received?

Neill: Be yourself and be true to the athletes. If it’s not working, don’t be afraid to say it.

What impressed you about Hallie Steponaitis’ season?

Neill: Each year, she’s become a better player. Her sophomore year, I would say her confidence wasn’t where it’s at it now. And then her junior year, she got her confidence going a little bit better. Her ball control got better. And then her senior year it just all came together. It was just getting her to believe in herself and her ability and what she can do. You could tell that she was a D-I athlete.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

Neill: I’m an electrician. A lot of people think that I’m a school teacher.

Which player on your team made you laugh the most?

Neill: Maia Carrasco. She was my foreign exchange student from Spain, so her English and our communication was a little on the funny side. It was more charades than talking.

If you could have dinner with three people from any time in history, who would they be?

Neill: Michael Jordan, John Wooden and a musical artist from the 1980s.

What do you do when you’re not coaching volleyball?

Neill: Watching my kids play volleyball or watching football on Sundays.

What are you looking forward to most next season?

Neill: Feeding off of what we did this year and working with kids who don’t really know a lot about volleyball. Just giving them that belief. I love an underdog story, so having kids that don’t come from volleyball become good at volleyball is what I look forward to most.