Marist’s Nick Mayoski and his brother, Jason, were just little kids when their family went through a major tragedy. Their father Jason, a Chicago fireman, died of a heart attack at age 34.
It happened on Aug. 24, 2012. Nick was only 3. Jason was 2. But they still think about him often.
Their father’s name, though, is also kept alive as Jason V. Mayoski Way at the corner of Wolcott Avenue and Cullerton Street in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago.
“We definitely play together every day for him,” Nick said. “We are always keeping him in our hearts. Always.”
The two brothers had dad in their hearts all season long for the RedHawks, who ended up battling to a 25-21, 25-18 victory over Libertyville in the state boys volleyball third-place match Saturday at Bolingbrook.
Jason, a sophomore libero, came through with seven digs and an ace for Marist (31-7). Nick, a junior libero, was moved into hitting duties because of a pregame injury and finished with four kills and three digs. Ball State recruit Briggs Corona led the way with 10 kills and four blocks.
Braden Moss paced Libertyville (32-4) with nine kills.
The Mayoski brothers grew up without their father, but they credited their mother Jenny, a Chicago police officer, for helping them adjust.
“I’m very thankful for our mom,” Jason said. “She has always been there for us and does a lot.”
Like with any family, there will be raised voices and some bickering.
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“As we grow older, we don’t do that too much anymore,” Nick said. “We don’t want to raise her stress level.”
Jenny, however, was beaming after the match about how her sons have grown up.
“You know what? They are good kids,” she said. “It was very easy to raise them. They have good heads on their shoulders. They are humble. They are kind. They do what they are supposed to do.”
Marist coach Jordan Vidovic admitted that he knew the brothers for a few years before he found out about their background.
“Meeting them, you would never really know what they went through,” he said. “They are tough. They are hard workers. They are everything you would want from a coach’s perspective.”
On the court and in practice, Vidovic likes what he sees.
“They help each other out a ton,” Vidovic said. “In practice, they are buddied up all the time. There is definitely a mentorship role there especially with Jason being an underclassman and Nick already having the experience of being an underclassman on varsity.
“He’s really schooled Jason on the dynamics of how we do things here. They feed off each other.”
Earlier in the day Saturday, Marist dropped a 16-25, 25-17, 25-12 semifinal decision against Oak Park-River Forest. Corona tallied nine kills, while Max DeHoyos had five and Billy Bochenczak added four. Drew Fiedler recorded 19 assists.
It was the RedHawks’ first postseason loss since May 30, 2023, when the host Crusaders handed the RedHawks a 25-22, 27-25 setback in the Brother Rice Sectional championship match.
This year’s playoff roster for Marist had three seniors and 12 underclassmen — and many received a chance to play a strong schedule and go through the playoff wars.
Although Marist entered the postseason as the two-time defending state champion, Vidovic wasn’t disappointed with bringing home a third-place trophy.
“In my eyes, this is the most impressive season we’ve ever had when you think about the battles we had to fight,” he said.
And another state title could be coming in the future for the RedHawks.
“Third place is definitely incredible,” Nick Mayoski said. “We’re disappointed we’re not playing for first or second, but next year, we plan on winning it all.
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“We need to keep getting better and connecting as a team overall.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.