Northwest Herald Athlete of the Week: Johnsburg’s Delaney Stern

Johnsburg’s Delaney Stern had quite the opening week.

The Skyhawks junior started the season with a team-record 38 assists in a nonconference victory over Harvest Christian.

Even more impressive, she needed only two sets to get the record. In the same match, senior outside hitter Emmy Wizceb set the team’s single-match record with 22 kills.

Stern also was recognized before the Skyhawks’ first home match for breaking the school record for aces last season with 64.

Johnsburg is off to a 4-1 start and won its Kishwaukee River Conference opener against Harvard, 25-16, 25-8, on Wednesday. Stern had 14 assists and four aces in the victory.

For her standout week, Stern was voted the Northwest Herald Athlete of the Week by readers. She answered a few questions about her record-setting performance, her dream job, favorite professional athlete and more.

What do you remember most about your performance against Harvest Christian?

Stern: What I remember most about the Harvest Christian game were all the smiles and the amount of fun that we were having. My team was so connected and we knew then that this was going to be a great season. Even while I was setting, I wasn’t thinking about all of the pressures and my surroundings, it was just my team and me playing good volleyball. After the game I was so surprised when the coach read our stats on the bus.

What do you usually have for breakfast?

Stern: For breakfast, I usually eat fruit, yogurt and granola.

What is your dream job?

Stern: My dream job is either an industrial organizational psychologist, an engineer or a college athletic trainer.

What sport are you just not good at?

Stern: A sport that I am just not good at is gymnastics. My mom paid for three years of it and I never advanced.

Who is your favorite professional athlete?

Stern: My favorite professional athlete would be three-time gold medalist and one-time bronze medalist in Olympic sand volleyball, Kerri Walsh Jennings.

What was the last really good movie you saw in a theater?

Stern: “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

Do you have any rituals or superstitions before you play?

Stern: I don’t necessarily have any rituals or superstitions, but for every single game since I was little, I have played with my hair in a braided ponytail.

What was a favorite book from your childhood?

Stern: My favorite book from my childhood was probably “Bridge to Terabithia.” I cried while reading it because of the sad ending. Otherwise, I read a bunch as a kid and would go into my own world while reading.

What is your most memorable moment playing volleyball?

Stern: One of my most memorable moments during club volleyball was beating our rival team, Fusion 15s, and winning a bid to nationals in Las Vegas. We had won and were super happy, and then to top it off we found out afterwards that winning that match meant winning the bid.

What is your most prized possession?

Stern: My most prized possession is my diamond necklace from my great grandma.

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

Stern: I wish a new rule in high school could be to play best of five (sets) so that we could play more.

What are you looking forward to most about this season?

Stern: Playing with this team is what I am looking forward to most. I have never been so connected to a group of girls like this. Everyone loves each other both in and out of volleyball and it makes playing so much fun.