Someone is always watching. Just ask Mother McAuley’s Emily Zaper.

Last summer, while playing for 1st Alliance, Zaper ran into a team from Wisconsin Juniors. Dan Dresen, the club’s director, is also an assistant coach for NCAA Division II Wisconsin-Parkside.

And Dresen took notice of Zaper.

“He said he loved my energy and leadership on the court,” said Zaper, who is an outside hitter and defensive specialist for the Mighty Macs. “He wanted to get to know me as a player.”

Dresen wasn’t recruiting Zaper to switch clubs. He was recruiting her to play in college. Zaper, who will be a senior in the fall for McAuley, then committed to Wisconsin-Parkside in May.

In preparation for her final high school season, more eyes were on Zaper during club. She earned tournament MVP honors as 1st Alliance won the AAU national title in the Aspire Division.

Zaper teamed up with Marist’s Isabella Scalise, Lemont’s Olivia Sarno and Bremen’s Asia Olivera as 1st Alliance went 14-0 in Orlando under Tess Rybowiak, an Orland Park resident who was recently hired as Shepard’s head coach.

Rybowiak enjoyed watching Zaper excel in a regular role for 1st Alliance.

“She was one of our six-rotation players,” Rybowiak said of Zaper. “She never came off the court. She was our captain this year. She definitely deserved this (MVP). She works her butt off.”

Zaper said when she left for Florida in June, she had no idea her team would win the championship or that she would be named the MVP.

What made her an MVP?

“I tried to get to every ball and I tried to lead the team,” Zaper said. “When they got down, everyone looked to me. I wanted to lead everyone to success.

“I tried to have a strong mind throughout the tournament. Even if I felt scared myself, I wanted to uplift my team.”

Zaper said her team failed to qualify for the United States Volleyball Association National Tournament in Dallas, so advancing to the AAU National Championships was a second chance.

And 1st Alliance wasn’t going to waste it.

“We took this tournament very seriously — it was our last go at winning something,” Zaper said. “The team dynamic just clicked for us like no other tournament that we had before.”

Zaper, who came off the bench as a junior for McAuley, has been working hard to see more playing time this season.

Growing up in Mount Greenwood and watching her older sister, Grace, play for the Mighty Macs, Zaper spent plenty of time in the stands at McAuley.

As a freshman, she watched the Mighty Macs beat Marist 29-31, 25-12, 25-15 in the Class 4A Eisenhower Sectional final and hoped she would one day make an impact on the varsity.

“It was a huge crowd and one of the most exciting matches that I saw,” Zaper said. “Back then, I wasn’t expecting to play. I wanted to be a part of the team, and if I made it, I made it.

“Just being there was exciting and I wanted to be a part of that.”

Rybowiak, a California native, is getting used to the culture of Southland volleyball in her second year living in Illinois. She’s rooting for Zaper to have a successful season with the Mighty Macs.

“She’s a very hard worker and has her eyes on the prize,” Rybowiak said. “I wouldn’t doubt if she finds a good role for herself. She will come into the season with a lot more confidence.

“I imagine she will contribute to the team in a very positive manner just like she did for us.”

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.