Matthew Proskey’s Impactful Role in Oak Park-River Forest Volleyball

Oak Park-River Forest senior setter Matthew Proskey has made a remarkable impression on his coaches and teammates. His unique playing style led to the creation of a new nickname. During practice, coach Justin Cousin joked about Proskey’s aggressive approach, sparking an idea in senior middle blocker Wesley Kochendorfer’s mind.

“Our coach was joking around because Proskey is pretty aggressive,” Kochendorfer said. “I think he’s one of the most aggressive setters in the state.”

Kochendorfer came up with the term “set-tacker” to describe Proskey’s hybrid abilities on the volleyball court.

Proskey played a crucial role in leading Oak Park-River Forest to their first state championship appearance since 1998. During the state final in Bolingbrook, he recorded 39 assists, although Oak Park-River Forest fell to Glenbard West. Throughout the tournament, he was a standout performer, leading all players with 89 assists over three matches, which included a notable victory over two-time defending champion Marist.

Discussing the season, Proskey shared his excitement:

“This season has been great,” Proskey said. “It’s all been kind of a blur because of how much fun I’ve been having.”

Proskey, who has committed to McKendree, has impressive statistics. This season, he accumulated 794 assists, bringing his career total to nearly 1,400. His teammates have greatly benefited from his dependable setting skills.

Kochendorfer, a long-time teammate, emphasized the impact of Proskey’s skill:

“So much of my success is attributed to our setter,” Kochendorfer said. “We’ve been together since seventh or eighth grade.”

Proskey, team captain alongside Kochendorfer and senior libero Gus Leman, is capable of contributing on offense as well. Junior outside hitter Jimmie Chrusfield III praised his versatility:

“He can literally do everything,” Chrusfield said. “Not a lot of setters can be offensive, but Proskey is very offensive. You don’t know if he’s going to set it or hit it.”

Proskey’s contributions were recognized by coach Cousin, who credited him for the team’s success:

“Proskey has been absolutely instrumental in everything we do,” Cousin said.

In their rivalry with Glenbard West, the Huskies managed one win in four encounters. Remarkably, on the same day as one of these matches, Proskey’s brother Calvin had an outstanding baseball performance for UC Santa Barbara.

The Proskey brothers have both excelled in their chosen sports after starting with baseball and volleyball in their youth. While Calvin focused on baseball, Matthew chose volleyball.

Reflecting on his choice, Matthew explained his passion for volleyball:

“Every day I’m in the gym, I know I’m going to touch the ball. When I played baseball, I was just standing around doing nothing. I really enjoy volleyball.”