Who said you can’t go home again?
Klaudia Basierak, a former standout performer at Grayslake Central and the University of Dubuque (Iowa), has been named the new head coach of the Grayslake Central girls’ volleyball program.
Basierak succeeds Jason Janczak, who stepped down at the end of last season after 13 seasons as head coach. Basierak played for Janczak from 2009-2011.
Basierak had an outstanding career at Grayslake Central. She was a three-time all-conference selection and holds the school record for kills in a season and career kills.
She went on to have a successful career at Dubuque where she was a four-time Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (now the American Rivers Conference) selection, was named the conference’s 2012 Freshman of the Year, and still ranks second in Dubuque history with 1,838 career kills.
Basierak was the head coach at Southwestern (Wisconsin) High School for one year and a varsity assistant at Danville (Iowa) High School for two years before returning to Grayslake Central.
“Klaudia played a pivotal role in transforming our program into the successful program it is today,” Janczak said. ”She was an exceptional leader as a player, and will be now as head coach. Her energy, knowledge of the game and attitude will allow her to continue the upward trajectory for the program she helped create as a player.”
Janczak won 230 games and three regional titles during his final 11 years as head coach at Grayslake Central. Last year’s team went 22-14 overall and 6-1 in the Northern Lake County Conference, reaching the regional finals before falling to Crystal Lake Central.
“I am excited to be a part of the Grayslake Central volleyball program, this time not as a player, but as a coach,” Basierak said. “It was great to be a part of the transformation of the program, but now I am excited to get back into the gym and get to work to make it even better.”