In her 30-plus years coaching at Mother McAuley, Jen DeJarld has seen it all.
She’s piled up wins, state championships, state trophies and conference titles.
But every once in a while, something new pops up.
Case in point: senior middle blocker Riley Wilson, who made the freshman B team, then junior varsity and then varsity the last two seasons.
And not just varsity but a varsity starter.
“Riley is the first person I’ve had do that, to be quite honest, in my 31 years here,” DeJarld said. “We’ve had B kids make the varsity but not become a starter. She’s the light of our team, our energy, our fun. She plays at such a high level. I couldn’t be prouder of her.”
Wilson finished with five kills, including two late swings, and a block on Oct. 6 as host Mother McAuley defeated rival Marist 19-25, 25-21, 25-22 in front of a packed house.
Juniors Keira McQuillan (12 kills, nine digs), Alyson Cahill (four kills) and Ava Calle (13 digs), seniors Jayce Prohaska (eight kills, 16 digs), Peyton Heatherly (27 assists) and Natalie DeMatteo (nine digs) starred for McAuley.
Marist was led by seniors Taylor Berg (12 kills) and Maggie Kurpeikis (11 kills) and sophomore Haven Enselman (30 assists, 15 digs).
Wilson, a 6-1 middle, had a solid junior year, finishing with 22 kills and 20 blocks in a supporting role.
As the Macs iron out their rotation, including dealing with some injuries, Wilson has been a staple in the lineup.
In the third set, she ripped two late kills to help McAuley stay within striking distance of a Marist squad seemingly pulling away.
McQuillan, a UConn recruit, did the rest with four late kills and a match-winning ace.
Wilson said she keeps things simple in not so simple match situations.
“Coach DeJarld always says you don’t have to be the star of the game or save things when we’re down,” Wilson said. “Trust your training and put yourselves in the best spot to play to your ability.”
Wilson said making the freshman B team three years ago was a big moment for her.
It wouldn’t be one year of high school volleyball and then getting cut. It would only be the start.
“I decided that freshman year was going to be a turning point for me,” Wilson said. “A lot of B kids don’t make junior varsity or then varsity. I wanted to be an image for younger girls who made the B team and think ‘Oh, I can’t do this!’”
Mother McAuley also beat Marist in the semifinals of the ASICS Tournament over the weekend on the way to the title, the team’s first since 2023.
The Macs also beat Assumption (Ky.), the top-ranked team in the nation, twice in three days.
“We’re supposed to protect our court,” Wilson said. “At ASICS, we didn’t have a crowd like this. You use that to fuel you and maximize what we do on the court.”
Heatherly, a four-year varsity starter, said she loves what Wilson has brought to the team.
“Riley is very authentic and working really hard in practice,” Heatherly said. “She comes in and hits those deep corner shots. She generates a lot of kills for us. It’s really nice to have a very offensive middle.”