Girls Volleyball
The mightiest Mac
Ferris State recruit O'Connell revs up as McAuley sweeps Hinsdale Central for regional title
Charley Niego and Katie O'Connell are without question the 1-2 hitting punch for Mother McAuley.
Most observers would say that O'Connell is No. 2.
But every now and again, the 6-foot senior throws a No. 1 knockout punch.
One of those now and again moments occurred in Game 2 of Thursday's 25-16, 25-13 victory over the host Red Devils in the Class 4A Hinsdale Central Regional championship match.
O'Connell, a Ferris State commit, wound up and swung mightily at a set from Nancy Kane. The ball rocketed over the net and into a Hinsdale Central defender, knocking her to the ground.
The smile on O'Connell's face was wide. It was a positively Niego-worthy spike.
“Yeah, we definitely challenge each other,” O'Connell said afterward. “We constantly push each other to get better. I like to use my power a lot, but you also have to be smart with your hits. You can't always use power when there are big blocks.”
The smile on Niego's face was just as wide.
“I get excited when my teammates are doing the same thing,” Niego said. “It's fun when us, together, are doing that to other teams.”
Niego had 11 kills, three blocks and 10 digs , while O'Connell added seven kills and eight digs.
Kane contributed 21 assists and Emma Reilly had seven digs for McAuley (35-1).
The Mighty Macs will play Sandburg at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Marist Sectional semifinals.
Hinsdale Central (14-22) never led, but did give McAuley a push behind senior outside hitter Abby Tosello (4 kills) and 6-0 senior middle hitter Gillian Lail (3 kills).
Lail's kills were all on quick sets and the most impressive of Central's hits, but they came few and far between. McAuley's defense kept the Red Devils from getting on anything more serious than a few three-point runs.
O'Connell, meanwhile, improved her season kill total to 274 with Thursday's effort. One of her kills was a rocket from the back row.
That one had McAuley coach Jen DeJarld smiling.
“She puts big balls down,” DeJarld said. “Her game has elevated to the next level this year. Honestly, her leadership role has been huge for us. I couldn't be more proud of her.
“She was a hitter on the right side last year. Moving her to the outside pin has just been a great move for us and for her. I throw her on the right side still sometimes for blocking. She has become a great six-rotation player for us.”
The Mighty Macs retained their PrepVolleyball.com No. 1 ranking with a win over Lyons in their final match of the regular season and a two-match sweep of the Hinsdale Central Regional.
They'll face a stern challenge in a Marist Sectional field that also includes Sandburg, Marist and Benet.
“We're feeling really good going into the sectional next week,” Niego said. “We just have to keep up our game and keep being mentally strong. And everybody needs to stay healthy. That's real important.”
PREVIOUS ARTICLE
