By Christine Jinbo

Nominations for the Player Spotlight of the Week on ESPN RISE Volleyball must compete with other national candidates and with staff recommendations.  Wheaton Warrenville South (Wheaton, Ill.) Head Coach Bill Schreier nominated two players, both worthy of national recognition.  With a plate full of candidates, two from No. 4 Wheaton Warrenville South made the cut. 

Joe Kelly, 6-foot-2 senior setter received the tournament MVP from the Richards Invitational where the Tigers bested No. 7 Marist (Chicago) and No. 10 Glenbard East (Lombard).  In one week, Kelly posted 168 assists, 10 blocks, 15 kills, 8 aces and 53 digs.

Along with teammate and the other ESPN RISE Spotlight player of the Week Neill Nystrom, Kelly will pursue the a third state championships in his tenure with the team.

Kelly began to play volleyball at a young age.

"I was 9 when I first started. I went to a small Catholic school, and in order for there to be a full team everyone had to play every sport offered... That, and my mom was going to coach so I didn't have much of a choice."

This focused senior continued down the path of over-achieving. Involved in the National Honor Society (NHS), for students who maintain a minimum 4.7 GPA, the club has strict guidelines in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Members are expected to continue their commitment to service and complete 20 hours of service during their senior year.

Kelly earned a 5.26 GPA on a scale of 5.00 and received numerous honors both academic and athletic.

Tiger Classic All-Tournament (2008,2009)
Richard's Invite MVP (2009)
Bison Battle All-Tournament (2009)
 
DVC All-Conference (2008,2009)
Daily Herald All-Area (2008,2009)
Daily Herald All-Area Team Captain (2009)
Chicago SunTimes All-State (2009)
DVC Academic All-Conference
Provost Scholarship of Saint Louis University

The accolades and awards help recognize a part of what this dedicated athlete and student accomplishes and gives back, all in a day's work.  As part of the Athletic Leadership Commission at Wheaton Warrenville South, Kelly understands that giving back to the community is important.  With this understanding, he volunteers his time as a coach of the St. James the Apostle School volleyball team.


Get to know Joe Kelly

Q&A with Joe Kelly:

What are you looking forward to about college?
Not waking up at 6 A.M., eating whenever I want, and not having the same routine every day of the week.

Do you play other sports, which ones?
No, but I used to play just about everything.

If you weren't playing volleyball, what would you want to be doing?
Playing lacrosse.

Joe Kelly's Top Threes

Songs to warm up to  
1. Cochise by Audioslave
2. Best Rapper Alive by Lil Wayne
3. Emperor's Soundtrack by Lupe Fiasco

TV shows  
1. Lost
2. SportsCenter
3. Family Guy

Movies  
1. Cinderella Man
2. Friday Night Lights
3. The Untouchables

Websites 
1. Facebook
2. Volleyballmag.com
3. espn.com


ESPN RISE starts the sentence... Joe Kelly completes it.

I play best when... it is a high-profile match and I get great passing from Kevin Mueller and Eric Wilkins.

If I were coaching Joe Kelly, I...  tell him to play better defense.

If I were coaching Neill Nystrom, I... would let him set.

The best thing about volleyball is ... the intensity and emotion that each team shows during the match after a big kill or block.

Something most people don't know about me is... I actually am having fun on the court.
 
If I could have one superhuman power it would be... super-speed.

We make Joe Kelly choose  
Hitting or Blocking - Blocking
American Idol or Survivor - American Idol (Kris Allen for the win)
Beach VB or Indoor VB -  Indoor          
Skateboarding or Snowboarding or Surfing- Skateboarding
WWE or MMA - MMA
Texting or Talking - Texting
Movies or Video Games - Movies          
Facebook or MySpace - Facebook