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Senior outside hitter Andrew Kula is accomplishing some things for Lemont that are worth broadcasting.
And not just on the court.
Kula will take a break from volleyball to defend his state championship in news broadcasting at the Illinois High School Association’s journalism state finals Friday and Saturday at Heartland Community College in Normal.
Last year, Kula finished third in the sectional competition but vaulted to first in the state meet. And that changed his life.
“I never in my mind would have thought I would win the state championship,” he said. “But it inspired me to pursue a career in broadcasting.”
Kula, who plans on going to Missouri for broadcasting, has also shadowed Fox 32 Chicago reporter Nate Rodgers to help learn the ropes of the profession.
This year, Kula finished second in the sectional. He’s crossing his fingers for back-to-back state titles.
“The format for state is that we attend a news conference and then turn it into a clip, and you have to make sure you get the right sound bites for a 75-second clip,” Kula said. “It’s really like being on the radio.”
He also used his writing and broadcast skills to earn a trip to Washington, D.C., before the start of the boys volleyball season. He won the state’s VFW Voice of Democracy contest in Springfield.
“I focused on the word dedication and the history of the sacrifice and dedication that veterans have given,” Kula said. “I feel like my generation, even with social media, is not connected with our veterans.
“It’s important to know there are these men and women who have served our country that may be a next-door neighbor or someone within our community. It’s important we talk to those people and we have connections.”
Oh, yes. He also does play volleyball when he’s not winning state titles. He grew up playing baseball, but changed gears in high school.
His mother Shannon, whose maiden name is Ceh, played volleyball at Rich South. Kula’s younger sister, Bella, is a freshman volleyball player at Lemont. Another younger sister, Maggie, is plays club at the 12-year-old level.
“Volleyball called my name,” Andrew said. “So, why not try it? It’s been an amazing, amazing opportunity and I made friends here that will last a lifetime.”
Bluhm-ing skills: Josh Bluhm, a 6-foot-8 junior right-side hitter, continues to work on his all-around game for Lockport.
The left-hander had plenty of power last season as a sophomore on the varsity.
Bluhm has gained even more for this spring with offseason weight training, but there were other parts of his game he wanted to work on.
“Over the club season, I felt I got a lot better on my defense and a lot better with serving,” Bluhm said.
Aces are coming with even more frequency.
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“When he rips that cutter, he can go on some runs,” Lockport coach Nick Mraz said. “The consistency hasn’t really been there but it’s something he’s been working on.”
And, of course, there is the eye-popping hitting.
“Every team knows how heavy of an arm he has,” Mraz said. “He had a match at the Argo Tournament where he hit .857. That’s untouchable. Unstoppable.”
Burden of proof: The Juniata women’s volleyball team won the NCAA Division III championship in the fall. The men’s team begins play Friday in the 16-team national tournament.
Sophomore libero Jeremiah Burden, a Sandburg graduate, is hoping to lead the school to the rare double-double championship. He leads Juniata (29-2) with 165 digs.
Burden’s older brother, Grant, was an All-American setter on the Stevens Institute of Technology team that made three Final Four appearances. That included a second-place finish in 2018.
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
