Gert Lisha
“When I found out about the timing, I didn’t want to do it,” said Lisha, whose parents were born in Albania. “This was going to be our year. I had been with the team too long, and I wanted to have one last run with them.”
His parents are former professional volleyball players, and his father, Besnik, had played for the current coach of the Albanian national team. He sent a video of his son as a try-out when he discovered the team had some openings for this year’s tournament..
It turns out the Albanian team was eager to have him. But while Lisha initially turned down the offer in order to finish his season with Naperville North, he began to reconsider.
“The more I thought about the opportunity to compete at the international level, the more I thought it would help me,” he said. “It was really tough to leave the guys that I’d been playing with for so long, but this was an opportunity just too good for me to pass up.”
His coach at Naperville North, Nate Bornancin, was supportive, even though he lost one of the best players in the state.
“He was a team leader and a force on the court,” Bornancin said. “Not many people know this, but Gert just started setting competitively a little over a year and a half ago. His learning curve has been unbelievable. He asks great questions, finds the best matchups for his hitters… He truly cares about being the best setter in the state.“
Lisha had spent his freshman year in Albania, so he knew the language and culture well enough to fit in. But the volleyball was where he quickly learned what a big step he had just taken.
“I’m a 17-year-old high school kid,” he said, “And now I’m playing with guys twice my age, professional volleyball players. For me, it’s still a fun sport, something I love to do. For them, it’s their career. They have to take it very seriously. And I really learned about what they have to do to succeed at the highest level.“
But while the timing of the tournament cost Lisha some sleepless nights, it did help him get playing time once he arrived.
“The group stages were very early this year,” he said. “They’re usually at the end of June or July. But this year (the matches started) so early, lots of the regular players were still on their professional teams in Italy and Greece. The regular setter couldn’t make it on time, so I got a lot of playing time that I otherwise wouldn’t have,” he said.
The tournament didn’t go well for the Albanian team, which failed to advance. But the older players were supportive as Lisha quickly learned the ropes.
Lisha starts his freshman year at Lewis University later this month, where he’ll be playing for a team that is traditionally among the best in the country. He’s planning on majoring in athletic training, but his future will hopefully revolve around volleyball.
“I’d love to someday play for America’s men’s national team,” he said. “That’s a dream of mine. I hope I can get to the point where I can play professionally and compete with the best.”
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