JOLIET — Joliet senior Savana Warburton is noticeably more explosive on the volleyball floor.
Well, that’s because the senior put in the work this offseason. From the end of May until the beginning of August, Warburton trained with Riley Kurschner at 777 Fitness & Wellness.
“Lots of vertical training, box jumps and flexibility. Lots of strength, too. I could really see myself getting stronger. It made it easier for me to get up there and see where I can hit and hit those spots. Overall, stronger and just a better athlete," Warburton said.
Kurschner is a top five personal trainer in Billings according to the Billings Gazette, and its evident in the gains Warburton made.
“Even just through a couple weeks, I felt more athletic. We did these tests — I don't even know what it is — on body fat percentage and I really saw a difference in that," Warburton said.
Kurschner said Warburton gained roughly seven inches on her box jump vertical over the course of the summer, and now she leads a Joliet volleyball team hungry to return to the state tournament after winning in 2020 then missing in back-to-back years.
“I will say I do have some pretty high expectations, but I think they're meeting them," first-Joliet head coach Annie Olson said. "We don't play safe. We continue to play our game and continue to swing and keep them on defense and continue, for us, to keep swinging."
“Just go as far as we can," Warburton said. "Get out of districts, get to divisionals and possibly get to state. I think we have a lot of potential to do that if we keep working as hard as we are."
Keeping that mindset will be key for Warburton and the J-Hawks if they want to make a run at some hardware this season.
