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Record Newspapers Athlete of the Week: Oswego's Sara Gilio · Kendall County News - Shaw Local

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  Record Newspaper's Athlete of the Week, Oswego Sara Gillio. Written by Skylar
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  Cassellus. This article is being read by an automated voice brought to
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  you by Everlet. Name: Sara Gilio
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  School: Oswego
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  Sport: Volleyball
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  Year: Junior
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  Why she was selected: Gilio was the chief playmaker for Oswego last
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  week, racking up 30 kills, 16 digs and eight aces during the
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  Class 4A Oswego Regional.
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  The junior outside hitter first made 19 kills, four digs and four
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  aces to lead the Panthers past rival Oswego East in three sets
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  in Tuesday’s regional semifinals. She then tallied 11 kills on 625 hitting,
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  eight digs and four aces on Thursday to help Oswego sweep Glenbard
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  East and claim their fourth straight regional title.
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  Gilio is the second Oswego volleyball player in as many weeks to
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  earn Athlete of the Week honors, joining last week’s winner Hannah Herrick.
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  Sara has really come into her own this year, Panthers coach Gary
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  Mosley said. Her control and command of the court is second to
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  none. She continues to grow on a daily basis and sets the
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  standard for every OPV player to reach for.
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  Gilio won Athlete of the Week through an online vote. Other nominees
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  included Sandwich football’s Cash White, Oswego football’s Ammar Banire and Yorkville cross
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  country’s Athena Triner.
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  Here’s Gilio’s Q&A with sports reporter Skyler Kisellus.
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  How did it feel being able to step up for your team
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  in its biggest matches of the season?
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  Gilio: It was definitely a good feeling. It’s something that we’ve been
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  working on a lot in practice. Each drill is designated towards the
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  game we’re going to play. We’ve been working a lot on serving
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  and everything, so it was definitely a good feeling to be able
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  to show what we’ve been working on.
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  It’s also been a great opportunity to be able to play six
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  rotations like I do during club season. Last year, I obviously didn’t
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  get that opportunity, because I was injured for most of the season.
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  But it’s definitely fun playing the back row and just being able
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  to showcase those abilities. This season has been so great.
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  How did serving become such a strong suit for you?
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  Gilio: It’s definitely always been something I’ve been good at. That’s what
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  starts off the play, so it has to be aggressive. And honestly,
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  beginning mid-season, I was struggling a lot with serving. My serving was
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  super inconsistent, and that was a big thing that we worked on
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  leading into postseason. It’s been great to actually step up and be
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  able to get those aces for the team, because that was something
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  I struggled with a little bit during the middle of the season,
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  but its great to be back to that ability.
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  You and Hannah Herrick are regarded as the two of the best
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  hitters in the state. What does that dynamic look like on the
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  court?
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  Gilio: We just trust each other so much. We both know what
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  it takes to be a big factor on the court. We played
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  at the same club, so we know what it takes, and its
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  great to have her as my opposite on the court. She’s my
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  support system on the court. When I do something good, she’s always
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  there, and when she does something good, I’m always there.
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  I think that bond helps make us the best outsides in the
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  state, because we just trust each other. And we’re like sisters, so
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  that bond is unbreakable, off and on the court. She’s definitely the
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  person that I go to on the court when I’m struggling or
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  when I’m doing well. So that helps with that. We both know
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  what it takes, and that helps also.
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  What about off the court?
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  Gilio: We hang out a lot outside of volleyball. The whole team
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  does, but especially me and Hannah. She’s like my sister. We’ve always
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  been close. She would drive me to club practices and home, and
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  it just built that bond and she’s like my sister. She’s one
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  of my best friends. We’ve gone through so many things together and
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  she’s always been there for me, and I’ve always been there for
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  her. She’s one of my best friends.
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  Who have been some of the biggest influences in your life?
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  Gilio: Definitely my parents. They’re my biggest fans. My mom never misses
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  a game. My dad goes to every game he can. They push
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  me to be the best that I can be. My sister Madison,
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  too. My sister’s the one that started me in volleyball. She was
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  the manager my freshman year, so she was my biggest support on
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  the team that year. She just pushed me to be the best
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  that I can be.
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  And then Dani Brooks is actually one of my biggest supporters she’s
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  also on the team. She’s my best friend. She’s my ride-or-die. She’s
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  always been somebody that I can talk to on and off the
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  court about stuff volleyball-related or something that has nothing to do with
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  volleyball. That bond is also just amazing, and all these people have
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  just helped me so much with the sport and without the sport.
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  What’s been your favorite memory in your career at Oswego so far?
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  Gilio: Definitely going to California in September. That was a big thing
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  for us. We fundraised a lot for it last year, and we
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  made some of the best memories there. We went to the beach,
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  for sure. Swimming with my team they’re like family to me and
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  being able to have that experience with them has definitely been such
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  an amazing memory.
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  It was also such a great opportunity to spend it with the
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  seniors. This group of seniors is just the best. They’re my best
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  friends, so it’s definitely sad being a 28 when all my best
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  friends are 27s. But they’re going to do such amazing things.
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  What else are you looking to accomplish before you graduate?
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  Gilio: I definitely want to commit somewhere. I want to continue my
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  athletic career in volleyball, for sure. That’s probably one of my biggest
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  things before I graduate is commit to a school. I’m talking to
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  a couple, but nothing is finalized or anything like that. But that’s
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  a big thing for me. Before I graduate, I want to get
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  that done. And then I want to get things ready for outside
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  of volleyball, too.
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  What are you looking for in the recruitment process?
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  Gilio: I’m looking for something closer to home, for a good environment.
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  I want to meet some best friends there best friends that stick
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  through your whole life. But for me, the biggest thing is that
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  they have what I want to go into for schooling also, because
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  I can’t play volleyball forever, and I want to have my life
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  planned out, too. But definitely something not super far from home, so
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  I can come visit whenever I want.
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  Do you have a dream school?
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  Gilio: Honestly, I used to when I was little. The biggest school
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  where every kid want to go to was Nebraska or Louisville, but
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  I was definitely a Louisville girl when I was younger. But right
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  now, I don’t really have a dream school. Nothing specific stands out
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  to me.
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  What do you do when you’re not in school or playing volleyball?
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  Gilio: Honestly, I’m a big friends person. I love my friends. I
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  love hanging out with my friends. A lot of the girls on
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  the team, those are the same people that I hang out with
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  outside of the team. When I’m not at volleyball, I’m with my
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  best friends, but my best friends are also with me in volleyball.
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  Dani Brooks and Hannah and Amelia Mosley and I, we hang out
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  a lot outside of volleyball. Football, shopping, all that kind of stuff.
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  I’m a big family, friends person.
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  Do you have any hidden talents outside of volleyball?
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  Gilio: Honestly, no. I mean, I can juggle. I don’t really have
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  any hidden talents, but I would say I can juggle.
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  How many can you juggle, though?
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  Gilio: Three. I’m not going more than three.