After meeting with last year’s senior class, Iron volleyball head coach Ms. Christine Konopasek entered the 2025 season focused on more than just hitting, blocking and passing.

She set a new priority: mental health and performance psychology.

“Confidence came up again and again,” Konopasek said. “It’s not a volleyball skill—it’s a life skill.”

“We need to know what we are capable of,” Konopasek said, “and we need to know that we can, in difficult situations, perform and do well and hold ourselves to an expectation.”

That offseason conversation inspired Konopasek to revamp preseason preparation. Entering her 19th year at the helm of the program, Konopasek collaborated with head football coach Mr. Jason Drengwitz and girls basketball coach Mr. David Feeney to introduce strategies aimed at mental strength and emotional regulation.

Drengwitz guest-lectured on “box breathing,” a technique used by Iron football to slow the heart rate and regain control in high-pressure moments.

Those breathing strategies became integral to the volleyball program’s mental training.

“We’ve specifically told people, you need to take a breath,” Konopasek said. “We can wait a second.”

Feeney spoke about the importance of positive self-talk and the need to treat oneself with the same kindness and encouragement that athletes reserve for their teammates.

“We need to be aware of how we talk to ourselves,” Konopasek said. “The things that you say to yourself, the hateful comments, you would never say to one of your friends. You would approach them with kindness.”

Konopasek and her staff have implemented those ideas in practice through intentional breathing, reset routines and verbal affirmations.

Players are encouraged to “visualize…doing things well,” Konopasek said, “visualiz[ing]… getting a kill or an ace and then celebrating with your teammates.”

The program adopted a variety of physical cues to reinforce mental resets—from touching the sideline between points to wearing red and black beads on their shoelaces, tied to the team’s “Up the Ante” poker-themed season motto.

“Think, ‘I’m all in for this point,’” Konopasek said. “You can’t fold.”

The coaching staff also introduced focal words during practices and embraced performance rituals, like a technique borrowed from Iron football’s mental training playbook: the “two-clap” reset. One clap signals frustration; the second signals moving on.

But “Positive self-talk isn’t just for the court,” Konopasek said. It also addresses the emotional balance of playing time, positional competition and the pressure of high-level play.

Just because you’re not on the court “doesn’t mean that you’re bad,” Konopasek said. Maybe someone else is better in that moment, or the connection is better. That doesn’t mean your time isn’t coming.

The program’s investment in mental training aims to build more resilient athletes—athletes who can respond, recover and reset.

“If you’re fighting and we still come up short, that’s not a bad loss,” Konopasek said. “But if we tank because of mental stuff, that’s less acceptable. That’s something we have to improve.”

Konopasek said this year’s team lacks some of the vocal leadership of last year’s senior-heavy squad, but she sees strong contributors stepping into new roles.

Seniors Alana Whitfield and Maggie Michaels, both committed to Division I programs, will be key on both sides of the ball. Defensively, Konopasek expects the team to be “incredibly solid,” with scrappiness and communication making up for inexperience at some positions.

While the coaching staff continues to determine final roles, Konopasek said early competition will be crucial in setting the tone.

Community opened the season going 4-1 at the Crimson Classic Tournament in Aurora, falling to Riverside Brookfield, 11th in 4A,  before four straight 2-0 victories.

Tournament play, Konopasek said, offers the Ironman challenges that they won’t face in lighter conference play.

“Our job is to be in the best spot come the end of October,” Konopasek said. “If we take our lumps, those are adversities that we can work through.”

The 5-1 Iron are back in action Sept. 12 when they travel to Lyons to take on the Bolingbrook Raiders (5-2) in tournament play.