Andrew's Bilanzic stands tall

When asked how tall he is, Andrew volleyball player Paul Bilanzic cannot help but smile a little bit.

Listed at 7'0 on the Andrew roster, the senior middle blocker/right side admits he's not quite that tall, but it is close.

"I'm actually 6'10 without my shoes, and with my volleyball shoes I'm 6'11," Bilanzic said after Monday's two-game win over Lockport.

A key contributor on an Andrew team that stood at 10-8 following Monday's win, the senior does not have any medical conditions or irregularities. He's just tall. It's in his blood.

His father, Peter, is 6'4. His mother, Sharon, is 6'2. His younger brother, Mark, stands 6'3. And his great-grandfather? Those are the rather large footsteps he is following in.

"Paul's great-grandfather was 6'11, and it looks like he took after that," Sharon Bilanzic said. "I think he'll cap off somewhere around there. You never really know though."

Growing up, Bilanzic was always a tall kid although he says that as an eighth grader he was a little short at 6'1. He played basketball throughout grammar school but found his calling when he started playing volleyball in eighth grade in his family's church league.

From there, he never looked back. By the end of his sophomore year, Bilanzic stood around 6'3 when nature took its course. One year and a seven-inch growth spurt behind him, Paul stood 6'10 and found himself growing into his body athletically.

"I hit that growth spurt at the end of sophomore year and over the summer so it took a little while junior year to get used to it," Bilanzic said. "I got a little playing time, and I got used to the flow. In club, I played and really got used to my body. It really helped a lot."

As his ability caught up with his ever-increasing height, he joined his first club team, Southwest Chi-Town Volleyball with director Rich Farrahi, and saw his skills immediately improve.

The results are evident on the court this year for the Thunderbolts. At 6'11 on the court, he is not an immovable object that is stationed at the net. He moves well around the court in games and sees action as a middle blocker and right side. Andrew coach Troy Hari says Bilanzic's versatility has even allowed him to put his senior team captain on the back row.

"If you would have seen him from sophomore year to now, it's a whole other player," Hari said. "He's stronger, and he's grown into his body. He moves so much better, and his footwork has improved. There were balls last year where I'd turn away, and he'd bury them in the net or hit out of bounds that he's getting now."

Ability on the court is one thing, but what about the whole high school experience for a student that towers above the entire student body? It's safe to say that it took some getting used to.

Other students know him not for his athletic prowess or ability as a student. He is the tall kid.

"A lot of the kids just know me because I stick out in the hallway," Bilanzic said with a laugh. "You can see me all the way down the hallway. Those desks, man, they're tiny. It's hard for me to get into some of them, especially if they're in the corners. It's rough."

The questions about his height eventually went by the wayside, but on the volleyball court he likes nothing more than proving opponents wrong.

"Unless they see me play, (opponents) don't really know," Bilanzic said. "I try to prove them wrong. If they think I'm not good, I try to prove it on the court, that I am good and deserve to play with them."

Bilanzic is far from a one-man team for a balanced Andrew team that looks to Bobby Renaud, Jake Bednarczyk, and Tom Greenfield on offense with setter James Boyce dishing the ball out to his hitters.

While he has committed to play for Park University in Kansas City next year, the almost 7-footer still has his goals set on a SouthWest Suburban conference title and a deep playoff run for the Thunderbolts.

The scariest part though? He's still growing.

"For my parent's sake and my sake, they hope I don't get too much taller because it's hard for me to find clothes," Bilanzic said. "I think maybe another inch, but that's about it."

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