Mother McAuley outside hitter Cayla Prohaska was feeling plenty of nerves heading into senior night.
It wasn’t the conference match against St. Ignatius that had heard her worried, though. She was more than ready to go and play.
For Prohaska, it was about her journey to get there, waiting her turn to start at outside hitter and then running with the opportunity this season.
Prohaska delivered another big performance, finishing with eight kills, nine digs and two aces in a convincing 25-20, 25-19 victory over visiting St. Ignatius.
“I was dreading this match because I didn’t want it to come,” Prohaska said. “I was excited for the game. Pregame for our seniors, it’s very emotional. We’re a super-close group. It’s an important night for us. We’ll celebrate the win, but it is emotional.”
Seniors Lucy Maloney (18 digs) and Emily Zaper (five kills, nine digs, two blocks), juniors Jayce Prohaska (five kills, four blocks) and Peyton Heatherly (20 assists, 11 digs), sophomore Alyson Cahill (four blocks) and freshman Chyla Jukes (three kills) all contributed for the Mighty Macs (30-4, 6-1 GCAC Red entering this week).
Cayla Prohaska, a Campbell commit, has been McAuley’s go-to outside hitter this season after playing a supporting role out of position a bit at middle blocker the last two seasons.
With a wall of talented players playing outside and right side, Prohaska willingly accepted the move because it got her on the court and she found a way to help the team win. She never pouted or dropped her head. She just enjoyed the ride.
“Just thinking about the last three years on varsity, even being behind Ellie White and Sydney Buchanan, I got to play with all these great people,” Prohaska said. “Now, it’s my turn (as a senior). It’s emotional for me to see the three years of work I’ve put in. It’s my turn to shine with everyone else on the team.”
Prohaska’s contributions haven’t been limited to her on-court play. She is a team captain along with Maloney and senior setter Grace Cahill.
As part of the team’s big sister program, she’s worked with Jukes, a talented freshman middle blocker who has made an immediate impact at the varsity.
Jukes said Prohaska has been a great mentor and teammate.
“I love Cayla so much,” Jukes said. “She’s my big sister in the program, but she’s a big sister to me in general. She’s always there for me. I can talk to her about literally anything, and she’ll help me through it. She’s the funniest person ever, too. Cayla is always smiling. I love her so much.”
Mother McAuley earned the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Class 4A Rich Sectional. The Macs will host a regional and play the Eisenhower/Lindblom winner on Oct. 28 in a regional semifinal.
Maloney, a Clemson recruit, is a two-year starter at libero and a three-year starter overall. She played defensive specialist as a sophomore.
She said the Macs can’t wait to get going in the state playoffs.
“Our mindset is, ‘Let’s extend this season as long as we can!’” Maloney said. “Hopefully, we have a month left. It’s been super fun. We have great girls on this team from top to bottom. I don’t want it to be over, but I’m excited for the rest of it.”