Despite basketball roots, Butler senior Raina Lewandowski has big goals on volleyball court
BUTLER TWP — Basketball and the Lewandowski family are synonymous with each other.
Joe Lewandowski coaches United States 3x3 teams on an international level. His son, Justice, played for Butler County Community College. His daughter, Kylee, played college ball at Richmond and Samford. Another daughter, Dacia, played at Akron and now Youngstown State.
His youngest daughter, Raina ... plays volleyball?
Yeah. And she’s pretty good at it.
“We’re definitely a basketball family,” said Raina Lewandowski, a Butler High School senior. “I played until the seventh grade. Honestly, I got bored with it. I wanted my own path, mix it up a little.”
A friend of hers played volleyball, and Lewandowski decided to give it a try in middle school.
“I loved it,” the 5-foot-11 outside hitter said. “It became my sport right away. I decided to dedicate myself to it. I love the team aspect of it, how everyone on the court has to work together to get the point.
“It takes an entire team effort, all the time. You bond with each other that way.”
While in eighth grade, Lewandowski set the Butler Middle School high jump record with a leap of 5 feet, 2.5 inches. That jump ranked third nationally among middle school athletes at the time.
Rather than continue with track and field, she decided to play volleyball year round, using that leaping ability to enhance her talents on the court. Lewandowski played for the Renaissance Volleyball Club before switching to 3DGE Volleyball, based in Pittsburgh, this year.
“Raina is an explosive player,” Butler head coach Halee McCance said. “She likes to attack the net with momentum. She’s really worked on her skills hitting the ball from the back row. She’s comfortable there.”
And she makes things uncomfortable for the opposition.
A four-year starter at Butler, Lewandowski reached the 500-kill plateau in her high school career last year. She has over 650 kills now and produced 28 kills in a match earlier this season.
Her goal is to reach 1,000 kills before her senior season is done.
“I really want to get there,” she said. “No doubt, it’s added motivation.“
Not that she needs any. Lewandowski has benefited from growing up in a family that plays basketball.
“I saw that commitment every day,” she said. “It takes a lot to get everything you can out of yourself. I don’t just work hard to improve on the court. I do a lot of lifting and training off the field, take care of my body.”
Lewandowski wants to play Division I volleyball next year. She has a 4.0 GPA but isn’t sure what she wants to study in college yet, she said.
On the court, she is a veteran player on a Golden Tornado team with a lot of first-year starters. Butler has yet to win a set this season, let alone a match.
The team’s record has not lessened Lewandowski’s passion for volleyball at all.
“Raina is a vocal leader and an extremely versatile player,” McCance said. “She works with the younger, more inexperienced girls on the court. She’s about so much more than her own success. She wants the team success.
“She’s helping us get there.”
Lewandowski thinks her positive attitude is her strongest asset on the court.
“I always want to be there to pick you up, be somebody to talk to,” she said of the relationship with her teammates. “Give me the ball and I’ll go for it. I want my team to be able to depend on me.”
Through club volleyball, Lewandowski has played in USA Volleyball Nationals three times. She’s played in the AAU Nationals in Florida, as well as other prestigious tournaments.
While she is playing at that elite level, many of her Butler teammates are coming off playing other sports when volleyball season rolls around.
“It makes a difference because they go through that transition period to acclimate to a new sport and that takes a while,” Lewandowski said. “A lot of the teams we play consist of full-time volleyball players, and that makes it more challenging.
“But we’re a team. We work together and we’ll improve together. I love my team and I love this sport.”
