For the first time in school history, Bishop Eustace Preparatory School will field a girls varsity volleyball team and battle against the best in the state.
The Pennsauken school’s program was installed last year, and students played a short junior varsity schedule last fall. Now, it’s “go” time.
“I’m so excited,” junior Lauren Ladik said during a preseason scrimmage against Florence High School. “I feel like I’ve been waiting for this for so long. We finally have a varsity team.”
Ladik may be new to high school varsity volleyball, but she’s certainly not new to the sport, playing for the Cherry Hill-based Jersey Juniors on the club circuit. She will be one of several players that coach Jessica DiProspero will lean on as a building block toward success. The Crusaders have 18 players in the program and are hoping to grow numbers as it moves forward.
“The goal is to make these girls better women as they grow,” DiProspero said. “High school is a very challenging time in a woman’s life. And volleyball, for me, was what I looked forward to. I want to do the same thing for them. I want them to look forward to coming to practice and playing and learning and hopefully winning. But it’s great to be in the community coaching kids. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”
DiProspero played a defensive specialist role at Washington Township High School prior to graduating in 2014 and continued on to play collegiate ball at Cabrini University. Still an active club player in local adult leagues, DiProspero learned of Bishop Eustace’s program last year during a match. Her teammate just happened to be Crusaders’ girls soccer coach Pat Hitschler.
“He had asked me if I had interest in coaching and referred me for the position,” DiProspero said. “So I went in for an interview.”
DiProspero guided the team through the junior varsity schedule last year, and the group was gaining momentum heading into this fall through team bonding and outings at local college games. A bout with COVID-19 struck their coach in the preseason, but she didn’t let it slow down the learning process. While quarantining, DiProspero was able to watch the team’s practices and scrimmages through FaceTime and even give instruction through her phone as the team huddled during timeouts.
“My assistant coach really took the lead in taking care of the kids while I was gone,” DiProspero said. “I wanted to at least watch the games, but I also wanted to help. And I think having my face there gave the girls some comfort. It was challenging, but you just pivot and the show goes on.”
The first test is a gigantic one as Bishop Eustace was scheduled to host Non-Public A state champion Paul VI on opening night, Sept. 8.
“We only had five games last year, so I’m just glad we have a lot more,” Ladik said. “We’ll be OK. We have a lot of girls with a lot of potential, and I think we need to play harder teams to get better.”
DiProspero agreed with that philosophy.
“It’s a learning experience, and you have to start somewhere,” she said. “You can’t just play teams that are weaker and feel proud about beating them when there are good teams out there and something to learn from. We want to emulate those teams and look like them one day. The goal down the line is to get to that point.”
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