For someone who prefers basketball over volleyball, Becca Papach has accomplished a lot in a short time in her “secondary sport.’ ”

The Whiting senior recently surpassed the 1,000 kill mark for her career with several matches left in the season.

Most volleyball coaches don’t keep track of career marks like kills, but the only area players in recent years who have eclipsed that number are Kelly Cochran of Marquette and Amy Morris and Sarah McFarland of Michigan City.

But Papach admits that she prefers the next high school sports season over the fall.

“I can’t say I like one more than the other, but I’ve been playing basketball since I was 3 years old,” she said. “Basketball is my main focus but volleyball is the focus right now.

“If it wasn’t for my sister (Katie) convincing me freshman year, I probably wouldn’t have played volleyball.”

Her sister, Katie, was as passionate about volleyball as Becca is about basketball with the siblings getting to play with each other at Whiting for two years before Katie went on to Tri-State University.

Becca earned Post-Tribune Second Team All-Area honors in her favorite sport last year, averaging 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.

The same athleticism and leaping ability that enables her to rebound and score at will in basketball has allowed Papach to grow and improve in volleyball in a short period of time.

“Personally, I’ve never seen someone’s skills develop as fast as Becca’s have, especially for someone to walk in after never playing organized volleyball (before eighth grade),” said Whiting assistant coach Ann Nichols, the sister of head coach Dan Nichols and a former Boone Grove player.

But Papach’s contribution to Whiting’s success goes beyond the crowd-pleasing kills. She has developed into a leadership role and that helps her coach.

“She probably the best court leader I’ve ever seen,” said Dan Nichols. “She’s

continually talking, giving high-fives, giving girls a pat on the leg, saying 'we need the ball.’ ”

The leadership is especially needed with a young team around her.

The Oilers have two sophomores and two freshmen on the court at times around the senior outside hitter.

That youth can sometimes lead to Papach wanting to do too much on the court, but it has become less of a problem, Dan Nichols said.

“Sometimes the other girls will defer to her and will expect her to get to the ball instead of themselves,” he said. “We saw that earlier, especially with two sophomores and freshmen out there, because they look up to her so much.”