Estimated read time: 12-13 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
MINOOKA, Ill. (AP) — The alarm clock goes off at 4:30 on a Saturday morning. It's time to wake up a tired and crabby high school athlete.
Many parents know this story.
They load the bags into the car and sometimes drive for hours to make it to a tournament.
Their kids play for half the day and sometimes they have to deal with excitement and heartbreak all within a few hours.
It's exhausting, And for most parents, this happens each weekend.
It's different for the Perinar family.
Larry and Patricia Perinar sometimes have to go through all of those emotions from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. because they run from one volleyball tournament to the next.
The super-parent duo constantly juggle games because all five of their children decided to play volleyball. Luck has it that all five are pretty nifty at the sport.
Four of the five Perinars have ended their high school careers at Minooka with stellar careers. Only one remains and is about to enter her junior year. She welcomes the challenge of continuing the success streak.
"This school season at Minooka will be a lot different compared to the others," Rocky Perinar said. "With all my siblings graduated and me being the only Perinar left, it puts pressure on me to make a great, lasting impact. Having shoes to fill of my sisters is an honor to have. I look up to all my siblings and getting this chance is one of a lifetime."
This summer, Rocky took another step to follow in her siblings' footsteps.
After she committed to playing at University of Tennessee, the expectation became solidified. The Perinar family went five for five with college volleyball players, a rare feat, indeed.
Now let's introduce the roster: huge-hearted Stacey, adventurous Brenna, outgoing Mitch, humble Ginger and goofy Rocky.
With five volleyball kids, it must mean one of the parents was a rock-star college player.
Not the case here.
The family didn't get the volleyball genes from their parents, but they did get their athleticism from Larry (football) and Patricia (poms).
The parents have caught onto the sport, however, and are more well-versed than the average volleyball family. Instead of playing bags during a cookout, the kids play volleyball as the parents watch and smile.
Volleyball isn't a sport for the Perinar family. It's a vital part of their lives.
And that part all started because of their 'heart."
When Stacey was in fourth grade, her best friend decided to go to a camp. Since she was ultra competitive even at a young age, she felt that she needed to go, too.
"When I found out my best friend signed up for volleyball camp at the Channahon Park District, I was super jealous and begged my mom to sign me up, too," Stacey said. "After a four-day camp, there was no doubt that I had fallen in love with the game."
All the Perinar siblings looked up to Stacey. When she was playing volleyball, her three sisters watched and wanted to be just like her. They immediately followed in her footsteps and Mitch followed when he was 13.
All four of her siblings admit volleyball became a family sport only because Stacey started playing. Her passion was there from the get-go, but it grew with the club and eventually changed everyone's life.
"I never thought that UNO would bring me to make friends that I will have for a life time," Stacey said. "Club volleyball changed my life and I wouldn't have done it any other way. Even though it was a big commitment, it led me from being a 12-year-old girl who loved the game of volleyball to a girl who got to fulfill her dream of playing D-I volleyball and going to college to complete my degree on a full-ride scholarship."
Stacey just concluded her senior year at Eastern Michigan University and compiled 1,126 kills, 949 digs, 110 blocks, 83 aces and 2,325 serve receive passes with only 118 errors.
It took years of hard work to get to that level. It also took role models.
When she played on UNO 16 and 18 Elite, her coach was Amy Larson, a Joliet Catholic graduate who quickly became a mentor, friend and person the young athlete looked up to.
In Perinar's 16s year, Larson was diagnosed with breast cancer, and in her 18s, it came back. It broke Stacey's heart, but having such a strong role model like Larson taught Stacey how to be a great role model for her siblings.
Stacey attributes much of her leadership skills to her parents, but she might have learned a lesson from Amy. Even though she might not have the answers to everything her siblings look to her for, she gives it her best.
"When you are oldest, your siblings look up to you and you're supposed to set an example," Stacey said. "Being the first one to go to college for volleyball and to play club helped show them what it takes to accomplish those things. I gave them tips and would play with and help them in the backyard and they would all come support me at my games.
"When it comes to life experiences, I definitely cleared a path for most categories and both myself and my siblings have learned lessons from them. Although we didn't understand it all the time, our parents have always had our best interest in mind even if it meant getting in trouble or saying no to things we wanted to do. I hope I was a good example for them and they learned a lot from me. I would do anything for my siblings and I can't wait to watch them grow as people and volleyball players. I'm their biggest fan and can't wait to see where life takes them."
After the first came the pair.
Brenna and Mitch have shared a lot going through life. Volleyball was just another thing the twins shared.
Brenna concluded her superb career at Lincoln Land Community and will shortly begin her reign at University of Saint Francis. Fifteen minutes down the road, Mitch recently finished an extremely successful season at Lewis.
There are many same-sex twins that play volleyball, but opposite-sex twins playing is another Perinar rarity.
"I find it kind of cool that Mitch and I play the same sport because it is just another bond we have," Brenna said. "We go to each other's games a lot to support each other and next year I will be right down the street from him so we can keep watching each other play for a few more years."
Both also share something huge. They were their respective conference's Freshman Player of the Year.
In her two years, Brenna totaled 660 kills, 130 assists, 681 digs, 154 blocks and 81 aces. She was a two-time All-Mid-West Athletic Conference and All-Region player on top of her Freshman Player of the Year honors.
The choice to move away for college wasn't random for Brenna. She was able to make a name for herself at college without having her siblings even mentioned.
"Sometimes with 'volleyball families,' there is a higher expectation for all players to do well," Brenna admitted. "Since I am from a family where all my siblings play the same sport, we all get compared a lot to each other. Another reason I went to Lincoln Land was because no one knew me, so I just got to play and not get compared to my siblings as much.
"In the end of my freshman year, I ended up getting freshman of the year, all-conference and all-region, and the end of my sophomore year I got all-conference and all-region again. Also this past season, as a sophomore, I was able to be a part of the best season of volleyball in Lincoln Land's history, achieving second in the nation and finishing 40-6."
After proving herself away from home, Brenna decided to come back to attend St. Francis and pursue her college degree in Media Arts & Broadcasting.
Not only did she decide on USF for the strong academic department, the university had the benefit of being closer to her family and her twin.
The entire family has been a huge support system for each sibling, but no one can break that twin bond. In the upcoming years, the twins will watch each other excel.
Mitch will watch Brenna as she helps St. Francis elevate its program and Brenna will watch Mitch do the same.
Mitch was able to watch Lewis at the highest level its been in recent years. In 2015, Lewis was the national runnerup, and now, he is part of the core that hopefully will bring the Flyers back to that level.
"It meant a lot to be apart of that runnerup team," Mitch said. "Although I was a redshirt at the time, practicing with those guys and watching how they carried themselves helped mold me into the player I am today. With all of them graduating, my class has tried to become the backbone of the team to try to get us to another NCAA tournament."
The main part of the backbone is Mitch's team-leading 290 kills and a .325 hitting percentage. He is the Flyers' huge offensive threat going into next season.
Each of the Perinar sisters might feel the competition among themselves to be the best, or to live up to their older siblings' successes. They are constantly compared to each other and want to prove themselves.
Mitch on the other hand is the only male player. Since the game is so different, he really has no need to worry.
Mitch has been named the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Freshman Player of the Year and earned AVCA honorable-mention accolades - a feat that only the accomplished Geoff Powell made as a freshman in recent years for the Flyers.
"I was really happy to receive freshman of the year," Mitch said. "It was something I was striving for before the season started. The last person to get it from Lewis, Geoff Powell, ended up having a stellar career and following in his footsteps would be awesome."
Simply put, the 6-foot-6 Mitch has lived up to the family name despite the men's game being so different. He also has represented Team USA on the Men's Junior National Team and still has a bright future. To keep improving his own game, Mitch plans to do the same thing: worry about his game only.
He does, however, want to follow in one of Stacey's footsteps.
"The only accolade I would like to get is one that Stacey got this year, which is 1,000 kills. If I could match her in that, I would be (pumped)," Mitch said.
That'll be an award that Ginger will look to reach at Southern Illinois in the upcoming years.
The family's third pin hitter just left a spectacular season at Minooka where she was named the Southwest Prairie Player of the Year and helped lead the team of underclassmen to a regional title.
Ginger is a two-time Herald-News All-Area selection and has dominated for the Indians.
"I wouldn't trade the past four years I have spent playing at Minooka for any other school," Ginger said. "The conference we play in is very competitive and full of a lot of talented players. Receiving the MVP award this year is something I am extremely proud of considering the amazing players I was up against and something I did not expect at all.
"I give credit to the coaches I have had throughout my high school career for always believing in me even when I doubted my abilities."
Ginger might have sacrificed the most among her siblings thus far because she has followed in their footsteps. From them, she learned that she needs to do strength training and conditioning to stay at the top level. She had to give up weekends to reach the next level.
This year, she had to take all of that a step further. She had to plan every meal.
"It was an all-protein diet, basically consisting of meats, fish, nuts, fruits, veggies and protein shakes and bars," Ginger said. "No fried food, white bread or dairy was really hard, especially because who doesn't like fries and ice cream? Although I did cheat a couple times, the diet overall really did work and I felt a lot better and could see myself perform at a higher level. It is something I am going to try to continue to do when I go to college."
If she can continue where she left off at high school - 396 kills, 270 digs, 97 blocks, 22 aces - Ginger will follow in her siblings' footsteps and compete at that higher level.
Ginger admits last season was amazing because she not only got to accomplish so much with her best friends who ended their volleyball careers, she got to compete at a high level with her younger sister Rocky as well.
Rocky was one of the most effective middle blockers in the area last season. In fact, if she had not missed the last few weeks, she might have ranked as the top blocking middle in the area.
The most impressive part is that middle isn't even her normal position. She's better at playing outside. She will be a marked player in the conference next season.
Perhaps more than any of her siblings, Rocky has been able to grow up with the sport and admire the game. She's watched each of the four predecessors play at a high level and has learned from them.
That may be why she's so versatile, and why so many colleges were pursuing her at such a young age.
Instead of focusing on what she can do, however, she wants to make note of what others have done for her. She said she owes it all to two people.
"We are pretty much known as the 'volleyball family' because all the kids play it," Rocky said. "I think it is pretty great that we have all earned the opportunity to play college volleyball. It is the opportunity of a lifetime, to be a part of the competitiveness and great atmosphere that comes with it. But without both my parents' love and support throughout all the years of playing, I don't know where we would all be right now.
"Even the times when I didn't want to go to a private session or practice, they always pushed me to be my best and it has always made me want to become better. Through all the obstacles we have faced as individuals, our parents have always been there for us, and I would love to thank them for that."
___
Source: The (Joliet) Herald-News, http://bit.ly/28Ye9as
___
Information from: The Herald-News, http://www.theherald-news.com/
This is an AP-Illinois Exchange story offered by The (Joliet) Herald-News.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
