Humm takes charge

Prairie Ridge senior Taylor Humm practices with the volleyball team Thursday morning at the high school. Humm will take more of a leadership role on the team this season. (Amanda Schwengel – aschwengel@nwherald.com)

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CRYSTAL LAKE – During the past two seasons, Taylor Humm has been expected to listen and learn.

This year, the senior outside hitter at Prairie Ridge will be tapped to lead.

Humm, in her third year on the Wolves’ starting lineup, has taken notes from past floor generals Sondra Parys and Taylor Brauneis, now graduated and leaving only their verbal tips and examples behind.

Humm clearly listened, her eyes darting around at the other players sitting on the gym floor after Monday’s installment of the Wolves’ summer camp, making sure they were paying attention to what coach Stefanie Otto was saying.

“I really feel like I fall easily into this role,” Humm said. “The team trusts me, I think, and I really feel like this is my time to take on leadership responsibilities.”

Humm is quick to admit she has been preparing for the role for four years. She’s taken everything seriously.

When running through serving drills during her freshman year, Humm wasn’t hitting the zones on the court her coaches wanted, but she quickly learned to change things around. The sprints Humm had to run because of the missteps made her more diligent.

Serving drills are warm-ups for Humm now, and she feels as if it is as much her responsibility to bring the other players up to speed as it is Otto’s and the rest of the coaching staff.

That’s just the way floor leaders need to be.

“Her communication has improved; she talks to her teammates a little more now,” Otto said. “Taylor is showing that she’s going to be able to handle the pressure well and make good decisions. Her overall leadership skills for us, both on and off the court, will be a key element to our success this year.”

The Wolves shouldn’t be lacking there.

Prairie Ridge lost five starters, but return a strong nucleus of players with varsity experience, with Humm leading the way. The Wolves finished 28-9 overall and 11-1 in the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division - tied for first with Crystal Lake Central.

The Wolves lost in a Class 3A sectional semifinal to St. Viator in three games, setting into motion Humm’s mentality and plan for how to approach this season.

With so many pieces of the puzzle returning and with the sting from that loss still fresh, Humm planned to rally her teammates, knowing her leadership and their collective talent could catapult the Wolves beyond last season’s finish.

“The chemistry is going to pick up right where it left off,” Humm said. “We’re really bonding well right now and everyone is trusting one another. I think that’s going to help me be a better leader, having everyone get along.

“ ... I feel like a coach on the court this year. There is only so much a coach can do on the sidelines, but I can lead by example and if I show the girls what we need to do I think it helps everyone understand better.”

With that tutelage, Humm and her teammates should be able to enjoy the fruit of their labor this year.