At a time when large families have become much more the exception than the rule, Sarah Makowski and her clan are a throwback to simpler, more traditional times.
"Most families these days have two or three kids," said the Oakville junior.
Not so for her parents, Tim and Maria Makowski. Sarah, a 6-foot-1 middle hitter, is one of seven children.
"My dad and mom both have a lot of brothers and sisters," Makowski said. "So it is kind of normal for them. They didn't stop, they just kind of went with it."
Matthew, the oldest at 21, is in the ROTC program at Mizzou. John, 19, played soccer for the Tigers but blew out his knee, and now attends Meramec Community College. Sarah is next in line, followed by Nick, an Oakville sophomore soccer player, then Grace, 10, Ben, 7 and Anne, 4.
"It's a lot of juggling," said Tim, a director of long-term physical therapy for Rehab Care. "My wife and I have to divide and conquer."
The Makowskis are that typical Catholic family - St. Margaret Mary in Oakville is their parish - that is on the move and immersed in youth sports.
Like her brothers, Sarah started out a soccer player. She was tall and lanky - great characteristics for a goalie.
"I was always the tallest," Makowski said. "My brother told me I should play goalie because I had huge hands.
"But I was not very good at soccer. I was very lanky and uncoordinated."
So rather than stumble around on the pitch, Makowski stuck with her other sports - volleyball and basketball - at St. Margaret Mary. And by the time she arrived at Oakville, volleyball was king.
This fall, those big hands are one of several Makowski traits that often put a smile on the face of Tigers fifth-year coach Morgan Lucas.
"(Coach) Lucas calls them my paws," Makowksi said with a laugh.
Those ‘paws' get to a lot of balls near the net for Oakville (4-1), the No. 10 team in the STLhighschoolsports.com girls large school volleyball rankings.
"Sarah definitely is a force at the net," Lucas said. "She has great potential. Not only is she tall, but she has long arms and blocks so well. When we played Villa Duchesne last week, they could not stop her."
The Saints (3-0, No. 2 small schools), handed Oakville its only setback last week in three games. But Makowski was on fire. In 20 attempts, she posted 12 kills with just one error.
Makowski and teammates Jennifer Wolken (eight kills) and Jennifer Brendel (six) led the way on Thursday night in a two-game victory at Suburban West Conference rival Parkway South. Though they struggled in the opening game, the Tigers settled down and played the kind of volleyball Lucas is used to seeing.
"Jennifer (Wolken) jumps out of the gym," Lucas said of her 5-foot-8 senior hitter. "She has a great vertical, and people underestimate her.
"And Sarah was one of the top blockers in the conference last year. She came in as a promising freshman and has continually gotten better every year."
Makowski gives a lot of that credit to Lucas and her club coach, Todd Gober of Team Elite St. Louis, who was the head coach at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville for the last 10 years.
She also says former Oakville player Sam Haegele, who went on to Division-I play, was instrumental in teaching her and Brendel what it takes to become team leaders.
Haegele tore her ACL as a senior, which opened the door for then-freshmen Makowski and Brendel to show what they could do.
"It was very intimidating as a freshman going into that game with our experienced players," Makowski said. "It was a heart-stopping moment. They were very good and made me such a better player. Even this year, when I have to step up, I will think back to how they took charge."
Last season the Tigers finished 18-12, the first time they didn't reach at least 20 wins on Lucas' watch. This fall, with setting being provided by experienced junior Kayla Reeg, defense from libero Danielle Breeher and additional kills from junior Annie Leonard, the Tigers hope to make some noise in the conference and in the playoffs.
Makowski, who already is drawing attention from college programs, is looking forward to that possibility. She was a freshman on the 2009 Oakville squad that was swept by Cor Jesu Academy in the district finals.
"It was a heart-breaker," Makowski said. "You always want to get back those heart-wrenching games.
"I think we have a good shot this season. We have the talent, but it is all about our heart."
Depending on how far the Tigers advance, there may be more than just a few Makowskis in the stands.
"We all have a lot of running around to do," Makowski said. "But every once in awhile a sibling will catch one of your games. We all try and support each other as much as we can."
