St. Laurence senior Maeve McNamara can get pretty excited when she puts down a kill.

But when a teammate lands one? That’s when she really lets loose.

Hers is a voice that can be heard all across the gym.

“I’ve just always been very, very loud,” McNamara said, laughing. “I’ll be honest. I think half of my teammates are deaf because of how much I yell in their ears.

“I just love this sport so much. And when I get a kill, I do get excited. But when my teammates get a kill, it feels so much better. It just makes me excited to play with people I really like.”

McNamara cheered often Monday — and was cheered for a few times herself — during a 25-17 25-11 nonconference victory over host Oak Lawn.

Green Bay recruit Kayla Birmingham starred for the Vikings (26-5) with 19 kills. Aubrey Martinez added eight kills, Vianne Villa had 27 assists and Natalie Martinez made 12 digs.

Kaitlyn Berkery tallied two kills and four digs for Oak Lawn (26-5). Hailey Wierzgac had four blocks, while Kasey Thompson dished out seven assists and Emma McAuliffe added nine digs.

McNamara was in the right place at big times, though. The 6-foot-1 right-side hitter had a block and a kill to get the momentum going early in the first game. She also landed a kill for the final point.

In the second game, she again made a difference with both of her chances to rotate across the front line with a block early and a kill late.

For the season, she has 80 kills and 29 blocks in what likely will be her farewell to volleyball. McNamara, a two-sport athlete, is leaning toward playing basketball in college.

“When I’m playing both, however, I don’t really prefer one over the other,” McNamara said. “That’s because both teams I’m on, I play with such great players and both coaches let me express myself.”

Her enthusiasm on the volleyball court, the bench and the huddles make her an MVP in the eyes of St. Laurence coach Ellen Yopchick.

“Maeve McNamara … we call her our ‘Hype Woman,’” Yopchick said. “She is everybody’s biggest supporter — from everyone on our team to the coaching staff, she is also sharing and bringing the good attitude.

“It’s not only just at games. It’s at practice, on the team bus. She’s always there to make you feel better, all the time. She’s our queen of positivity and we appreciate her.”

But the constant smiles don’t mean she’s not locked in 100%. During Monday’s match, she had no hitting errors. It’s not a rare occurrence.

“I know wherever I put the ball, Maeve is going to slam it down,” Villa said. “She might ask me, ‘Oh, can you push a set in or take it off (the net)?’ But I’m just like, ‘You’ve got it, Maeve. No matter where it’s at, I know you’re going to hit it hard, anyway.’”

Weakness was taken out of her vocabulary a long time ago.

“I played a lot of sports when I was little,” McNamara said. “My dad (John) really played a big part in that. Whenever I would get hurt or I got in my head, my dad would look at me and say, ‘Take a tough pill.’

“That got me so mentally strong I was able to shake things off. When I get stuffed in a game, it doesn’t matter. Hey, it happens all the time. I’ll just get a better kill next time. My parents were very supportive, but they also taught me how to shake things off, which is a big part of sports.”

She makes the most of her three rotations in the front row, but the bench brings opportunity as well.

“Being a right side, that’s the deal,” McNamara said. “When I’m on the court, I love it, but I kind of love being on the bench as well. I can watch and see everything. I can get excited and support and talk to my teammates.

“Coming back on that court, it’s kind of the same rush. It’s like I never left.”

Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.