Sometimes in sports, the phrase “next big thing” can get overused.

But in terms of the Timothy Christian High School girls volleyball team, the next big thing has already arrived.

Her name is Abby Vander Wal and she just enjoyed an immensely successful freshman season where she led the 20-win Trojans in kills (285), while finishing second on the team in aces (30) and digs (147) on her way to being named to the all-Metro Suburban Conference Blue Division team — Timothy plays in the mainly larger-school MSC Blue Division based on its success on the court in recent years.

However, the statistic that stands out the most for the 6-foot-3-inch outside hitter is .404. That’s her hitting percentage which is a simple math equation where you take a player’s kills, subtract the number of errors she made and divide by the number of swings she took. In Vander Wal’s case, she had 285 kills against only 61 errors on a team-high 554 swings (Timothy’s next highest-set player had 393 swings). A 554-swing total equates to being the go-to offensive option.

Of note, a .404 hitting percentage is usually reserved for the folks in the middle who tend to find themselves in high-success situations when it comes to terminations. In fact, Trojans coach Scott Piersma noted Vander Wal, who also earned all-tournament honors at the Manteno tournament Timothy won in late September, ranked 15th in the state of Illinois in that category, as a freshman, according to one statistical gathering service.

“Abby is the real deal,” Piersma says. “She is not a freshman 6-3 player. She knows how to move. She’s strong and athletic. When she walks in the gym, she stands out. Opposing coaches are not happy to know she is a freshman. We knew about her when she was in middle school. We’re excited to have her.”

Terminating is far from the only thing Vander Wal excels at. “She can be a defensive menace at the net,” Piersma points out. “A lot of right sides are not used to seeing a 6-3 outside put their hands up in that way.”

Piersma adds this fall was a little different for Vander Wal going from playing club volleyball against the top players in her age category around the country to facing 17 and 18-year-old grown women, some committed to colleges, as a freshman on the high school varsity team.

“Abby is the real deal. She is not a freshman 6-3 player. She knows how to move. She’s strong and athletic. When she walks in the gym, she stands out. Opposing coaches are not happy to know she is a freshman.”

“It’s different playing against the best 17- and 18-year-olds in the area like from Montini,” he says. “She has a polished skill set. Freshmen normally still have a lot of growing to do. In practice with her it’s more about nit-picky things and fine-tuning the details to make her better. She’s a quick study and her IQ is very high. Abby can adjust very quickly.”

Vander Wal says being a freshman on the varsity this fall was “an awesome experience.”

“All the older girls were super-welcoming and made me feel  special,” she says. “They didn’t treat me any differently than the older kids. Everybody was super nice. I appreciated everybody on the team, the sophomores, juniors and seniors.”

Family Matters

Vander Wal explains this volleyball thing wasn’t always a slam dunk in terms of being a natural. “I had to work at it,” she said. “The height has helped a lot. I’m 6’ 3” and it’s definitely an advantage. I have been tall since forever. I was always the tallest kid in grade school, guys and girls. High school is a little different. I definitely had to work hard. I went to practices three times a week, a lot of private lessons and both local and national tournaments and got a lot of reps in that helped me get better.”

Having a sports-rich family background doesn’t hurt either. Sports run deep in Vander Wal’s family. Come to think of it, deep might be a bit of an understatement.

Get your pencils and scorecards out for a quick rundown of Vander Wal’s family tree (forest?) and its longstanding ties to the Timothy Christian and Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church communities. Here we go:

Vander Wal’s mother, Kristi (Bosman), holds the record for the most points scored in Timothy Christian girls basketball history (1,544) and also played volleyball there. Kristi Vander Wal played basketball at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana. Vander Wal’s dad, Steve, played soccer, basketball and baseball at Timothy, and went on to play baseball, also at Taylor.

Her brother, Ben, is a current senior boys basketball standout at Timothy and is committed to Division I Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. Younger brother, Jake, is 10 years old and is a special needs student who attends Edison Elementary School in Elmhurst (more on their relationship in a second).

Here’s where the family tree really takes off. Vander Wal’s grandpa, Ken, served in many capacities at Timothy Christian on various boards and is a volunteering stalwart at the school.

Steve Vander Wal’s sister, Sonja Corrigan, graduated from Timothy and is a preschool teacher at the school now. Her son, Dylan, currently attends Timothy and is in the fourth grade.  Uncles Dave, Dan and Kevin also graduated from Timothy, as did Dan’s wife, Renee. Uncle Kevin Vander Wal previously taught middle school and coached basketball at Timothy before relocating to the Carolinas.

Are we keeping this straight?

From the Bosman side, Vander Wal’s grandpa George Bosman graduated from Timothy and taught at the school for the entirety of his 42-year career, coaching basketball at many levels. Bosman and Ken Huizinga started and ran the successful Saturday basketball program for elementary and middle school kids for many years and also worked the Timothy scorebook with Huizinga working the clock at school basketball games for more than 50 years. Grandma Carolyn Bosman also graduated from Timothy and taught physical education there early in her career.

Aunt Shari LeGrand graduated from Timothy and is currently a teacher’s aide there, plus leads the elementary singing at chapels and runs the Timothy athletic concessions. She’s married to Timothy Christian athletic director Jack LeGrand, and their children, Kari, Kelli and Tyler, all played multiple sports at Timothy.

Aunt Barb Stoll graduated from Timothy and currently is one of the high school’s administrative assistants. Uncle Bob Stoll graduated from the school and served on the Timothy Christian board. Their children Kacie, Rachel and Sarah all graduated and played multiple sports at the school, while Anna Stoll is currently a Timothy Christian eighth-grader and also plays volleyball. Kacie (Stoll) VandeKamp had more than 1,000 kills during her Timothy career and went on to play four years at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, earning conference player of the year honors in 2017 & 2018.  Rachel was part of the 2015 volleyball team that took 3rd in state.

Uncle Dave Bosman graduated from Timothy and now teaches and coaches at Illiana Christian High School in Indiana. Dave and Jody Bosman’s children attend Illiana and Highland Christian schools.

“My family, we all play volleyball,” says Vander Wal, who plays club for the 1st Alliance/Lions Juniors organization and is starting her 15U year this season. (Her 14U team finished fifth in the nation this past season). “My mom, three aunts and six of my cousins all played volleyball at Timothy. Through the family, I developed a love for it. I would go watch my cousins play and I started to love to play. I started going to camps and found I really enjoyed it. I love the team aspect of it. Volleyball is very fun. When you get a kill, you turn around and everybody is yelling and super-excited for each other. Each player in each part of the game does something important for the team. It’s a great team sport.”

Vander Wal also is thankful for her two brothers. “Ben has always been a good role model,” she says. “He’s three years older. I can look up to him in certain situations. He’s helped me so much. I don’t know how to describe it. He’s there in any situation I need whether it’s faith, schoolwork, sports or social life. It’s amazing to have him around. I will miss him when he goes to college.”

Vander Wal also loves spending time with younger brother, Jake, who has Down syndrome and autism and attends Edison.

“Jake is the cutest thing ever,” says Vander Wal, who enjoys fishing in her spare time with family members. “He can’t talk, so we have learned sign language to communicate with him. There are days I wonder why he’s being so hard, but he makes me smile and he makes me laugh so much. It’s awesome that he is my brother. I am definitely blessed to have a little brother like him. God makes me realize how important it is to trust in Him when things are hard. It can be challenging , but I have that trust in the Lord. He’s always in control. God put Jake in our family for a reason. He’s super special and I appreciate him.”

Past, Present, and Future

Vander Wal admits her faith was tested during the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It rocked our world,” she says. “I was going to a club tournament in St. Louis. It was my first big tournament ever and It got canceled the morning of March 13. My faith was tested a little bit with not being able to see my friends and different things. But holding on to my faith and knowing God is in control of the situation and Him having my situation under control totally helped me. Reading the Bible and praying helped my faith grow so much during that time.”

And with the success she is having at a young age, the college recruiting process already has started. “I have some recruiting going on,” she says. “It’s definitely a new experience. It’s been cool kind of getting into it. I just turned 15 a month ago. It’s definitely different. Coaches can’t talk to me until after my sophomore year, but they can send questionnaires, email me about elite camps, come watch me play and contact my coaches. I’m looking forward to the process. I am blessed to be able to have this opportunity at this level. It’s exciting to possibly be able to play someday at these places.”

Vander Wal, who has been a student at Timothy since preschool, notes the school has been a blessing for her on multiple levels.

“I love the teachers and the community is so nice and kind to each other,” she explains. “I also really like the Christian aspect. My faith has grown so much in the last few years. I look forward to chapels, seeing my friends and love having teachers who care about me.  The teachers were so great during the volleyball season asking me about games or coming out to watch.

Looking to the future, Piersma says the sky is the limit for Vander Wal.

“It is as long as she keeps working hard,” he says. “This fall she was invited to the USA Volleyball national team development program over a weekend and has been invited back for the winter session. I know a goal of hers is to someday play on the national team. She gets invited to these things and it’s neat to know they have their eye on you. That’s big-time. I know she wants to make it a reality. We’re looking forward to the next three years with her.”