Volleyball fans of a certain vintage may feel a tinge of déjà vu while watching Barrington’s Addie Brookbank play.
The fluid athleticism, powerful swing and enthusiastic determination displayed by the 6-foot senior outside hitter might seem vaguely familiar, although her surname does not.
That’s because Brookbank is leading the second generation of a family synonymous with athletic excellence at Barrington. Her mother is Betsy Spicer, a former volleyball star with three sisters and three brothers who all played at least one sport at Barrington.
“My mom played volleyball at Sports Performance, same club as I did, and at Barrington, and then went off to play at Illinois and played pro in Portugal,” Brookbank said.
Betsy Spicer was a two-time All-Big Ten middle blocker at Illinois. Megan Spicer ran track at Eastern Illinois, and Annie Spicer and Nellie Spicer became volleyball stars like Betsy. Annie Spicer, an outside hitter, led Barrington to second place in Class AA in 2000 and later played at Virginia Tech. Nellie Spicer, a setter, helped Barrington finish second in AA in 2002 and 2003 before playing for UCLA and the U.S. national team from 2008 to 2013.
Betsy Spicer’s brothers were no slouches in sports. Tom Spicer was a two-way starting lineman for the Barrington football team that finished second in 6A in 1998, and Matt Spicer also played football for the Broncos. Charlie Spencer played volleyball, starting at middle hitter when Barrington finished second in 2005 and continuing his career at Lindenwood.
Got all that? It’s a lot. But Brookbank isn’t fazed by her family’s legacy.
“Abbie has done a really, really nice job,” Barrington coach Michelle Jakubowski said. “I think it’s also helpful that not everybody remembers the Spicers. It’s a different era.
“But I think Abbie takes great pride in it, and I think she wants to continue with that tradition in the family, and I think she’s done an awesome job with that.”
Indeed, Brookbank embraces the challenge of continuing to strengthen the family brand.
“Mom always just tells me to give 110% and never give up on anything and to push hard because you never know when your season is going to end,” she said. “So you always want to give all your effort.”
Brookbank always does that. The UNC Asheville recruit has 289 kills and team highs with 215 digs and 52 aces for the Fillies (26-9), who begin the playoffs this week hoping to reach the 4A state semifinals for the fourth consecutive season.
“She always just goes for every ball, which I love,” Barrington senior outside hitter Whitney Mall said. “She’s always so determined to get a ball that she also pushes up her teammates as well. We all know how to stay disciplined, and it really helps the team along.”
Brookbank and the 6-2 Mall have been crucial to the Fillies, who lost 13 players to graduation. Brookbank and Mall are the only players who went into this season with varsity experience. Both played only in the back row the past two years.
“It’s just fun to take on the leadership role together,” Mall said. “Because there are so many young players on our team, it’s fun to do it together.
“We did a leadership thing with all the athletes in our school last year, so we knew what we should do. Putting that together has been fun.”
The younger Barrington players include Brookbank’s sister Kalyn, a 5-10 sophomore outside hitter. The team has been inconsistent at times but benefits from the solid leadership provided by Addie Brookbank and Mall.
“This year, Addie and Whitney both have come in and done a really nice job being six-rotation players,” Jakubowski said. “(Brookbank) is doing awesome. She came into her own this year as our top hitter and go-to person. She has a heavy arm, just hits really hard and has a great volleyball IQ.”
The uncommitted Mall is enjoying a breakout season too. She leads the team with 293 kills and is second with 142 digs.
“She’s really growing,” Jakubowski said. “The way she’s hitting now, she wasn’t hitting that way a year ago. The power she has, she’s got the size. It’s being more consistent and aggressive, and she’s getting there.”
Getting to state again will be difficult. Barrington is seeded second in the Class 4A Fremd Sectional. The top-seeded host Vikings beat the Fillies twice during Mid-Suburban Conference play.
But Brookbank isn’t thinking too far ahead. Instead, she is relishing every day of her final high school season.
“It’s so much fun being a senior,” she said. “You have that joy of it being your last year playing, so you just kind of want to let it all out on the court. It’s really exciting.”
The expanded role and high expectations haven’t hampered Brookbank’s enthusiasm.
“I just think (the key) is staying calm throughout the whole process because you can only control a certain amount of things, like your attitude, your effort,” she said. “You just have to stay on those, and everything else will take care of itself.”
Brookbank has become the kind of role model that influenced her in previous years, citing Jessica Horwath two years ago and Jenna Meitzler last year.
“Jessica would just light up the whole court, even if she made a mistake, and she’d always lift us up,” Brookbank said. “We were just little sophomores going in playing with the seniors, so whenever we got subbed in, she always helped us feel comfortable on the court.
“Last year, Jenna Meitzler was the best teammate ever. She made us want to follow her leadership role.”
Can Brookbank lead the Fillies to state again? She’s certainly up for it.
“My coach always says pressure is a privilege, and there is a lot of pressure on us to keep up with all the tradition from the past,” Brookbank said. “Like winning the Jacobs tournament, we did that again for the fourth year, so (achievements like) that are what I feel is going to help us get there again.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.