Dupage Policy Journal

Offensive players don't get more consistent than Halley Pardy.

Pardy, an outside hitter at the College of DuPage (CoD), played 29 matches through Oct. 13. Out of those matches, the freshman from Westmont High School reached double digits in kills in 20 of them, according to njcaa.org. That included a run of 13 out of 15 matches with double-digit kills.

Her efforts put her – and the CoD – near the top of the rankings in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III in total kills this season.

Pardy has adjusted well to being the offensive leader of a college team as a freshman, CoD Head Coach Tolis Koskinaris told the DuPage Policy Journal.

“She doesn't lack self-confidence in terms of what she thinks she can do,” Koskinaris said. “… I don't think she's very surprised with where she's at at all. If anything, she probably feels she should be No. 1.”

The rankings show she's not far off from that top ranking. As of Oct. 20, according to njcaa.org, Pardy was fifth nationally, with 350 kills; fourth in total attacks, with 1,050; fifth in points, with 413.5; and 18th in kills per set, with 3.33.

Getting her on the team was a matter of having good connections, Koskinaris said.

Prior to the start of this season, Chaparrals outside hitter Rory Manion took a late-summer offer to join the volleyball team at Saint Xavier University in Chicago. As an example of what kind of player Manion is, as of Oct. 20, she led Saint Xavier in kills, with 399, which is tied for 11th in NAIA Division I, and kills per set, at 3.24.

Manion's move to Saint Xavier left CoD needing another hitter. One of the CoD players, Maddy Debbs, told Koskinaris about her high-school teammate Pardy, who garnered All-Interstate 8 Conference honors in her playing days at Westmont, according to Interstate8.org. Debbs told the coach Pardy might still be available to sign.

“She told me about (Pardy), and we got in contact with her, and all of a sudden, she was very interested in coming to College of DuPage, and we got her on the team,” Koskinaris said.

Pardy's strengths as a player include upper-back strength that helps her rotate on the ball and press strong for blocks, the Koskinaris said, and she combines that with strong motor ability.

“She puts a lot of effort into each play, and she does have a lot of upper-body torque for swinging and playing at the net,” Koskinaris said.

Koskinaris said Pardy is maturing from week to week and growing as a teammate after coming from a high-school team in which she was the best player to a college team where she is growing as a teammate.

“I think here at College of DuPage, there was a little more balance on the team in terms of capacity,” Koskinaris said. “I think she's learned how to accept that and work with others.”