Jill Schultz called being a junior in high school the “worst year of my life.”

Schultz had to sit out the water polo season and adjust to life at a new school after transferring from Tinley Park to Mother McAuley.

It has all worked out in the end for Schultz.

Now a senior, she’s teamed up with her freshman sister, Maddie, to form a dynamic scoring duo for the Mighty Macs, who are 26-2 and ranked No. 2 in the state by Illpolo.com.

“I’ll look back on my junior year and not want to remember it, but it was all worth it,” Jill Schultz said. “These girls are great to play with it.

“(Coach Vanessa Carroll) is one of the best coaches I’ve ever gotten to play for, and getting a chance to play with Maddie and go after a state title together is super awesome.”

Jill, a St. Francis of Brooklyn recruit, and Maddie have combined for over 200 goals this season, with Maddie scoring 118 and Jill adding 83. Jill also is the team’s leader in assists.

“We’ve played on teams together pretty much our whole lives and when she got to high school and we couldn’t play together, it kind of stunk,” Maddie said. “Now we’re back together and it’s great.

“We know how each other plays so well. Sometimes she’ll know the move I’m going to make before I do.”

When Maddie envisioned playing with Jill in high school, she never imagined doing so at Mother McAuley.

After all, the Schultz family has had quite a tradition of success at Tinley Park.

Jill and Maddie’s father, Eric Sr., and brother, Eric Jr., both won wrestling state titles and were standout football players for the Titans.

Their sister, Hannah, was a 2014 graduate of Tinley Park who starred for the Bremen co-op water polo team before playing at Iona.

Jill spent her first two seasons playing for Bremen co-op, but the future of the program looked dim heading into 2017.

“Our coach (Todd Strein) retired, we lost a lot of players who were seniors, and they weren’t finding a new coach,” Jill said. “We weren’t sure if there was going to be a team, and I love playing water polo, so I had to look for other options.”

While Bremen did end up finding a new coach and kept the program alive, the Schultz sisters have found a home at Mother McAuley.

“They both fit right in like they’d been playing with us for four years,” Carroll said. “They’ve both been playing for so long, and they bring a lot of knowledge to the team.”

Jill is happy to be playing with her sister again.

“We work well together because she’s more of the scorer and I can score, too, but I’m more of the one who will see the field, make the passes, do the little things,” Jill said. “She’ll make a face or something, and I’ll know where’s she going and get her the ball.”

The Schultz sisters have big goals in water polo. They’ve both been a part of the Olympic Development Program for five years.

“We’ve gotten to play with and against a lot of people from all over the country,” Maddie said. “I hope to get that chance to play for my country internationally in the future. I’d also like to follow Jill to (St. Francis) in a few years so we can play together again.”

Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.