In celebration of the 50th IHSA Girls Volleyball State Series, the organization has recognized the state’s top 50 programs, naming one school each day as they countdown toward Nov. 16’s milestone state championship tournament.

Community was named the state’s 20th-best program in late October, with a committee of current and former high school volleyball coaches, administrators and media members recognizing the program’s achievements since the sport’s official inception in 1974.

In five decades, the Ironmen have established quite a collection of accolades and hardware: nine trips to the State Finals, four Finals trophies, 13 sectional titles and 31 regional championships.

Ironmen volleyball’s rich legacy of talent and tradition of success is deep-rooted, predating the State Series itself as Community’s inaugural season came in 1971.

Ms. Ellie Duax was at the helm then, establishing the program’s winning tradition. Duax, in her 23-year career at Community, tallied a 514-191 record while leading the Iron to their first State Finals appearance in 1976.

Duax took the reigns of the West Wildcats, transferring to the school in 1995 when Unit 5’s second high school opened.

There, too, Duax would leave her mark–taking the ’Cats to the State Finals in their first-ever season, going 124-58 throughout five seasons.

But Community, under Ms. Lois Wisniewski, proved they wouldn’t be outdone by their crosstown rivals.

Wisniewski and the Ironmen, in eight seasons from ’95-’02, went 234-68.

Under Wisniewski, Community claimed seven straight regional titles and made three State Finals appearances.

The Ironmen would see a series of coaches in the next seven seasons, but despite the coaching turnover, the success continued.

In 2003, with Mr. Tom Wait running the program, the Iron went 35-5 on the way back to the State Finals.

Ms. Andrea Kenny replaced Wait the following season, but Kenny didn’t put winning on hold.

Kenny led Community to back-to-back State Finals appearances in ’04 and 05, going 35-5 and 35-7 respectively.

Two more regional titles would come between 2007 and 2008 under Ms. Natalie Sutimek, who coached Community as the IHSA transitioned to a four-class system. The Iron went 82-28 during Sutimek’s three-year tenure.

Since 2009, Ms. Christine Konopasek has anchored the Ironmen program. Moving up from the JV squad under Sutimek.

In 15 seasons, Konopasek led Community to two State Finals appearances on the way to a 372-169 record.

“I’ve been super fortunate,” Konopasek said, “super lucky to have a lot of really great kids and great families come in and be a part of the program.”

Since inheriting the Ironmen, Konopasek said, the focus has been “to improve, to work hard, to win, and to fight.”

This season, the Ironmen surpassed 1300 program wins, ending the 2024 season with 1307 program victories.

“That doesn’t happen without exceptional kids,” Konopasek said.

Those exception kids have been responsible for upholding traditions that predate Konopasek.

“There are things that the girls do before their games,” Konopasek said, “that are very much a Normal Community volleyball player thing.”

Konopasek didn’t teach those traditions, the coach said, like the team’s cheers in the locker room, they’ve been passed down.

“Historically,” Konopasek said, Community has had “really talented kids come in and play.”

In the last decades, those kids included names like 2014’s Machayla Leonard (Toledo), Erika Peoples (Southern Indiana) and Micki Quakenbush (Olivet Nazarene); and 2017’s Grace Cleveland, a Purdue All-American now playing professionally.

Seeing them acknowledged, Konopasek said, is “awesome.”