Sports
Fall's Finest 2010: Niedospial Digging Her Success
Marist senior defensive specialist named Oak Lawn-area's top fall high school athlete.
Caroline Niedospial, Marist, senior, volleyball
Major accomplishments/awards
* Niedoslpial helped the RedHawks advance to the Elite Eight, marking their longest trip into the playoffs in school history.
Find out what's happening in Oak Lawnwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
* In September, she broke the school record for digs in a match with 39. In December, she broke her own record with 41. Coincidentally, both record-breaking performances came against Mother McAuley, the alma mater of her older sister Caroline, who helped McAuley win the Class AA state title in 2000.
* The East Suburban Catholic Conference Player of the Year shined during tournament play. She was recognized as an all-tournament selection on four occasions.
Find out what's happening in Oak Lawnwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Caroline Niedospial: In her own words
"When I look back, I will remember the Fall of 2010 as a great year. The season meant a lot to us six seniors because we made history by winning a sectional for the first time in school history. I'll always be disappointed that we never won a state championship, but we beat McAuley three times, Benet twice and JCA and those are always big games for us."
Natalie Holder: Coach's tribute
"This season, to me, was a continuation of what she did in previous seasons. She is, without doubt, the most dominating volleyball player we've graduated in our program, which says a lot because we've had some successful players who have gone on to Duke, Illinois and Iowa. She has the ability in her position to dominate in a way that I have yet to see in that position. I've been really fortunate to coach some of the best athletes in the past 20 years, and she's really one who has dominated (as a libero) like no other."
Personal
Niedospial is committed to Northwestern. She started playing competitively at age 8. In addition to collecting digs (she had 728 in the fall), she digs spending time with friends and family, as well as playing table tennis and reading from the Harry Potter series. She admires her sister, Sarah, as well as her aunt, Daralyn (Niedospial) Duffy, her first volleyball coach and a member of the Western Illinois University Hall of Fame.
