Aubrey Deverick Leads Sandburg with Skill and Spirit

Junior outside hitter Aubrey Deverick prefers to let her performance speak for her team, Sandburg. Though she admits she’s not much of a singer, Deverick found herself with a microphone on senior night. The underclassmen joined her to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

We had the idea watching other games and seeing another team singing the national anthem, Deverick explained. We thought we should do it. I’m not a good singer, but the others are OK.

Coach David Vales praised the players’ performance, saying, They said they sing all the time and that they can do it. I said they had to take it seriously and honor the country. They said they would. Without hearing them practice, I thought they nailed it.

Deverick also excelled on the court. She scored four kills and an ace, leading Sandburg to a 25-12, 25-21 victory over Bradley-Bourbonnais in Orland Park. Bella Maras contributed nine kills and three blocks. Mya Slowikowski added six kills, and Ellery Dyra secured five. For Bradley, Harper Yuska achieved four kills, with Olivia Woolman adding three.

Sandburg’s second game lead of 21-12 shrank to 22-21. Deverick’s crucial kill helped regain momentum, leading to the match victory. I feel that was good because our team came out strong for senior night and there was a lot of emotion, Deverick commented. It got close, but we executed, so that was good.

The 5-foot-10 Deverick, promoted to varsity as a sophomore, transitioned to outside hitter this season. Vales appreciates her role, saying, She’s an important player for us. Bella is going to take a lot of heat, but Aubrey as a secondary outside does exactly what she’s supposed to do — control the game, make good shots, put the ball down when we need it.

Two years ago, Vales chose to develop Deverick’s leadership skills by keeping her on the freshman team. You learn how to be a leader when you stay on your level, Vales said.

Maras, who is considering sand volleyball in college, admired Deverick’s energy. She brings a good vibe to the team, Maras stated. It’s just so fun to be around her and all the other girls every day.

Despite a challenging season, Vales hopes for improvement. There are some matches we wish we could have back, he reflected. But we’re playing some of the best teams in the state and a couple against the best teams in the nation. We want the girls to learn resiliency, and that’s what they are learning.

Deverick emphasized the team’s readiness to make an impact. I think that we need to get over this bump and just push through, she said.