Girls Volleyball: Mother McAuley tops Matea Valley for Oswego East title

By Randy Whalen
Correspondent

The storyline was simple for Mother McAuley.

An opportunity to cap the first week of this season by gaining a measure of revenge from last year’s loss in the Class 4A state title match.

The Mighty Macs did that as they came out clicking and didn’t let up in a 25-21, 25-5 victory over Metea Valley in the title match of the Metea Valley/Oswego East Tournament at Oswego East.

“Yes, this was a little bit of a revenge match,” McAuley coach Jen DeJarld said. “[Metea Valley] has a very talented team and we hope to see them again at state.

“But fortitude has been our talking point. We have that posted on the bulletin board. Fortitude and grit are what are going to get us through tough times.”

There haven’t been too many tough times so far this season for the Mighty Macs (7-0). Not with the hitting combo of junior Ellie White (10 kills, 9 digs, 3 aces, 2 blocks) and Sydney Buchanan (6 kills, 3 blocks) on the outside.

“Ellie is a beast,” DeJarld said of White.

White, who is in her third varsity season, 8 kills and an ace in the second set.

“We’ve grown since last year and it’s a great start to beat them,” White said. “We are fired up and our chemistry is just huge.

“A state title is always our goal. We’ve already improved and are just off to a great start.”

The opening set was back-and-forth until the midway point. Ahead 15-14, McAuley looked to take control with an 8-1 run, but the Mustangs (5-1) battled back behind a kill and a block by junior outside hitter Camille Morrison (3 kills, 2 blocks) in a 6-0 run to close within 23-21.

But a serve into the net and a block by Buchanan, who is a sophomore, ended the opener.

“For Sydney, this was her coming out party,” DeJarld said of Buchanan. “She applied everything that she’s worked on to this point, this weekend and came into her own.”

Senior setter Olivia Klapp (8 assists, 8 digs, and 4 aces among her 14 service points) had an eight-point service run in a 9-0 spurt, which included a pair of aces and four kills by White. Klapp played as a defensive specialist last year but moved to a setter in a 6-2 offense this season.

“I just wanted us to get a good, comfortable lead and carry on our confidence,” Klapp said of her service run. “We looked forward to playing them. We wanted a little revenge from last year and we wanted to play well.

“Our connection is just super good and we are super tight-knit this season. We just have that good teamwork with a lot of leadership, unity, and cohesiveness.”

Senior setter Tess Hayes had 5 assists and a kill, and senior libero Gigi Navarrete added 10 digs and two aces for the Mighty Macs.

In the semifinals, the Mighty Macs nudged Naperville Central 25-14, 25-7.

String Start
In the season opener on Aug. 23, McAuley toppled visiting Joliet Catholic, 25-10, 25-19. White led the way with 10 kills, junior middle blocker Ellery Rees had four kills and seven aces, senior middle blocker Maeve Moonan mashed five kills, Navarrete had 13 digs, junior defensive specialist Sam Falk found 10 digs, Klapp distributed 13 assists, and Hayes had 10 assists.

On Thursday, Aug. 25, McAuley topped Andrew, 25-15, 25-11. The Thunderbolts were advanced to the Class 4A quarterfinals last season and are coached by 2006 McAuley grad Emily (McGinnis) Connolly.

In pool play on Friday, Aug. 26 at the Metea Valley/Oswego East Tournament, the Mighty Macs had wins over Glenbard East, Downers Grove South and Whitney Young.

McAuley will hit the road to Louisville, Kentucky, where they will play Sacred Heart on Thursday, Sept. 8 and play in the Louisville Tournament the following two days.