MACOMB, Ill. - A month after the small town of Utica was devastated by a tornado, the town's residents are finding ways to recover. Eight people were killed when the tornado slammed into the downtown area and several businesses and homes were destroyed on April 20. Utica, 150 miles from Macomb, is the home to Western Illinois volleyball player Lisa Esmond, where her father, Fred, serves as mayor.Utica was slammed by an F3-level tornado at approximately 6:15 pm, but Esmond did not find out about it until 9 pm. "I was in the library studying that evening, and I had no idea what had happened until I got home and heard a message from my mother saying they (her parents) were alright and to not worry," Esmond said. "For me, the most challenging question was whether or not I should go home that night," added Esmond."The next morning at practice, many of my teammates asked me how I was doing and if my mom and dad were alright. Everyone was very supportive that day, and Katie Airheart even went home with me that Wednesday evening to see everyone and what had happened," said Esmond.After hearing about the natural disaster that occurred in Utica, assistant volleyball coach Steve Williams said the team immediately "went into a mode of concern for Lisa and her family." He added, "Our first concern was immediately for Fred and Sandy. After that, it was important for us to make sure that Lisa was coping well and that she knew she had full support from her volleyball family."Esmond and Williams agreed that the impact the Utica tornado had on the team was indeed a positive one. "The team has always been close," said Williams. "The event just reinforced that concept for everyone becasue everyone's immediate concern was for Lisa as a person, not a player." Esmond added that head volleyball coach Kym McKay offered to bring the team down to help out with the disaster relief efforts, but Mayor Esmond advised not to do so at the time because there were already several people helping out and much that could not be done until insurance agents properly inspected the town. "Just knowing that everybody on the team and the coaches wanted to help out my family and my community was very comforting and a really great feeling," Esmond said.The Western Illinois volleyball team expects to continue to watch the rebuilding efforts in Utica, and is prepared to visit as a team in the late summer if needed.