Senior libero Reilly Chausse had so many reasons to be excited as she waited for Sandburg’s match to start.
For one thing, it was her birthday. The Akron recruit had never played before on her birthday.
For another, her longtime close friend, Lockport senior Lainey Green, would be on the other side of the net.
When Sandburg coach David Vales walked into the gym midway through the JV match — shortly after going through six hours of chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma — she went from charged to super charged.
“Oh, my gosh,” Chausse said. “I actually was texting him this morning to ask how he was. Of course, he was like, ‘I’m going to push through it and be there for you guys.’ I told him, ‘Take your time. We’re here to support you. Don’t push it.’
“He has done so much for us. He’s just so strong. It was unreal when he came into the gym. It made us so excited and confident in ourselves to have him here and on the bench with us.”
Chausse dug deep Tuesday night — and all of the Eagles responded in kind — to post a 25-19, 25-18 SouthWest Suburban Blue victory over the visiting Porters.
Elise Sterling led Sandburg (16-11, 5-1) with eight kills. Madi Mulhausen added six kills, while Keira Fitzgerald contributed 12 assists and Chausse made 15 digs.
Kylee Schurig paced Lockport (18-6, 5-2) with seven kills. Hailey Rak added three blocks, while Green had 14 assists.
The 5-foot-4 Chausse did the lion’s share of frustrating Lockport’s hitters. She was diving and digging to the finish, although she made one of her few mistakes when she shanked a Lockport serve on match point.
Her reaction included a quick smile.
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“I was like, ‘Oof!’ on that one,'” Chausse said, laughing. “I mean, it happens to the best of us. You have to have the mindset like, ‘I want that next one. I’m all good.'”
She did get the next one and passed it perfectly to the front line, where Mulhausen slammed down a kill for the final point.
On the other side of the net, Green was ready with a nod, a handshake and a hug. How could she not?
She’s seen it all many times as Chausse’s teammate in club.
“Literally, Reilly is probably the best player I have ever watched in my entire life,” Green said. “She has such a ruthlessness to dive everywhere to get every ball that she can and not care about how much it will hurt.
“And she always has a positive attitude on the floor. It’s just amazing. She’s such a fun player to watch.”
Chausse earned second all-area honors as a sophomore, making 465 digs. She was first team all-area in 2022, boosting her dig total to 610.
“She’s a magnet to the ball,” Vales said. “We noticed her freshman year, but we kept her on the JV level to get a taste of libero after being an outside at club and junior high. She earned the spot as a sophomore.
“Every year she sets a new goal. ‘What were my numbers last year? I need to do better.'”
Chausse has proved to be a formidable successor to current DePaul standout Rachel Krasowski.
“Ever since I was a little girl, I always came here to watch Rachel play,” Chausse said. “She has always been my idol. I mean, she is just phenomenal. Her attitude on the court was amazing.
“She made a mistake, she shook it off. She hyped up all of her teammates. For me to be able to not take her spot but be able to do what she did really has been a dream come true.”