Tough times can sometimes require tough decisions.

Lincoln-Way Central coach Mary Brown had some Monday morning surprises for her team after its fifth consecutive loss.

The biggest one was bringing up freshman Alyssa Teske and putting her at setter. She moved senior setter Caitlyn Rochon to shore up the defense at libero.

Another big move was switching middle hitter Rachel Kolodziej and right-side hitter Skylar Smith.

“Everything was different,” Brown said. “I didn’t know how it would turn out.”

Kolodziej made sure it turned out right.

“She was really good at talking to the freshman setter the whole time,” Brown said of Kolodziej. “She talked her up. Made her calm. You can’t teach that. That comes from within.

“As good as Rachel is playing the game, I would say more of her asset is how she keeps everybody together and how she’s filled with joy.”

Kolodziej was one of the leaders last Tuesday for Lincoln-Way Central in a 15-25, 25-20, 25-22 victory over Homewood-Flossmoor.

The 6-foot senior had seven kills and one block. Two of the kills came late in Game 3 as the Knights finally broke into the win column.

The overall record? Kolodziej really isn’t worried about it.

“I’m definitely going to focus on the wins, but there are more important things,” Kolodziej said. “There are the team moments, when we have really good plays. And the moments off the court with my teammates that are great.”

The sentiment, according to Kolodziej, is magnified due to the uniqueness of her senior season.

Kolodziej, a three-year varsity player, hopes to play on a club team at a major college. Her main concern at the next level will be her studies in pre-physical therapy.

With the fall season postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, a farewell to serious volleyball seemed in jeopardy.

“It was honestly a shocker to have this season,” Kolodziej said. “I really was expecting us not to have it, so when I found out we would, I was really excited.”

After the effort against H-F, Kolodziej had 29 kills, eight aces and five solo blocks this season.

And a large amount of satisfaction.

“We were thrown into playing and scrimmaging and conditioning,” Kolodziej said. “But all of the work was worth it. I just wanted to have that one last experience in a team environment.

“It warms my heart. It’s a very melancholy feeling.”

Double dealing: Providence coach Lee Rucinski calls it “a luxury I’ve never had in my 15 years of coaching.”

He has two college-bound setters in seniors Abby Lab and Skye McGill.

Lab will be attending St. Francis and McGill will be attending St. Norbert. They have been almost mirror images in running the Celtics’ 6-2 offense.

Through eight matches, McGill has 83 assists, 40 digs and six aces. Lab has 89 assists, 28 digs and nine aces.

“At any other school, both of them would be running a 5-1,” Rucinski said. “They run 5-1s for their club. They both can swing. They both can block. They both have it all, from the IQ, to the physical aspect, to the sets they can deliver.

“The great thing is although they both want to be the setter, they work so great together. They keep pushing one another to get better. It’s a true blessing to have both of them. They make every hitter on the court better at what they do.”

They worked their best together Thursday when the Celtics took Mother McAuley to three games before losing 23-25, 25-15, 25-18.

In the first game, Providence and McAuley were tied at 20-20 when Rucinski ran out of substitutions. It necessitated keeping Lab and McGill on the floor for all six rotations.

“We didn’t miss a beat,” Rucinski said. “That’s how good both of them are — it didn’t really matter that we didn’t have to put in the right sides. We could keep both of them in and still run our offense.”

In the family: Junior libero Natalie Kent grew up watching the success of the Joliet Catholic program. Her cousin, Megan Melone, was a setter for the Angels when they finished second in Class 3A in 2014 and 2015. Kent ranks second on the team this season with 44 digs.