With a berth in the state semifinals at stake, Mother McAuley senior outside hitter Jayce Prohaska left no doubt.
Swinging away from the back row, she’d seen Downers Grove North make some impressive digs on her two previous hits.
Game on the line, though, she wanted it. She was going to put that ball down.
Blasting a kill from the back row that DGN dug out of bounds, Prohaska’s swing provided the exclamation point on Mother McAuley’s exciting 25-12, 19-25, 25-22 victory on Nov. 9 at the Class 4A Lyons Supersectional.
“I know Peyton (Heatherly) trusts me to give me the ball a third time,” Prohaska said. “I was going to put it down. This is the final ball. I’m putting it down.”
Mother McAuley (36-4) will play Oak Park-River Forest (27-8) at 7 p.m. Nov. 13 in the state semifinals at Illinois State’s CEFCU Arena in Normal.
It is McAuley’s first state appearance since 2023.
Prohaska finished with 10 kills, nine digs and a block.
She was a freshman on the JV team when the ’23 team won the title with her older sister, Cayla, a sophomore, on the roster.
“It’s amazing,” Jayce said. “I watched them do it. Being on the team now, being on the court and contributing, it’s crazy.”
Heatherly, a senior setter, finished with 30 assists. Juniors Keira McQuillan (15 kills), Ava Calle (15 digs) and Alyson Cahill (three kills, two blocks), seniors Riley Wilson (three kills) and Natalie DeMatteo (six digs, two aces) and sophomore Chyla Jukes (six kills, three blocks) all contributed to the supersectional win.
With the state berth within reach, Heatherly knew she could trust Prohaska.
Oh, and she was really vocal.
“Jayce was calling for it loud,” Heatherly said with a laugh. “When she went up, I knew she’d get it. She was ready. I knew because me and Jayce, we have a trust together.”
McAuley trailed 20-19 in the third set, but Prohaska tied it up with a kill. Then after two DeMatteo aces, McQuillan and Prohaska exchanged a kill each, setting up for the game winner from the back row.
“It’s so fun,” Prohaska said. “Peyton sets such a great back row tempo ball. I can fly into it from the back row. It’s one of my favorite shots to hit.”
McAuley closed the third on a dominant 6-2 run after some shaky moments earlier in the set.
DeMatteo’s back-to-back aces provided a huge boost after Prohaska’s kill tied things at 20.
“We do a lot of pressure serving at practice,” DeMatteo said. “That definitely helps. We’re used to being in big moments like this. It’s not letting anything get the best of us and our play for the team.”
Heatherly was a freshman starter on the 2023 state team.
“This is very special,” Heatherly said. “Looking back on it, it feels like such a long time ago. I get to relive it now. This team is super special.”
Nazareth also heading to state
Nazareth beat Lemont 25-22, 12-25, 25-16 to win the Class 3A Hinsdale South Supersectional on Nov. 9.
The Roadrunners (27-13) will play Geneva in the 3A state semifinals at 4 p.m . Nov. 13 at CEFCU Arena in Normal.