A couple of times a week, Marist’s Sommer Shaw and her mother, Sharon Wilson, spend some quality time together running. They are accompanied by their pit bull, Joe, for a mile or two.
Along the way, however, Shaw will start to pull ahead of her mother and the dog as well at Commissioners Park in Alsip because she also uses that time to get in a little extra training.
“It’s to get my stamina up for when we play long matches,” Shaw said.
That hasn’t happened yet for the RedHawks. Shaw, a junior middle hitter, tallied five kills and three block assists Tuesday night to lead the way in a 25-13, 25-11 GCAC Red win over St. Laurence in Chicago.
Michigan commit Maggie Kurpeikis led Marist (7-0, 1-0) with 13 kills and six digs, while Western Michigan-bound Taylor Berg added six kills and five digs and Maeve Gill contributed four kills. Haven Enselman had 26 assists and six digs and Ariella Link notched 14 digs and four assists.
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Marist has won all 14 of their games by an average of 12.6 points and no one has scored more than 18 points so far against the two-time defending Class 4A state champions.
“I’m really glad that we got off to a good start,” Shaw said. “We’re coming on strong and really fierce and we want to win every single match.”
Abby Ambrose led St. Laurence (4-4, 0-1) with four kills two block assists, while Clancey Bowen added three kills and two block assists. This is the first time the two programs have met, which drew a sizable, loud crowd to Marist’s gym.
The 6-foot Shaw, meanwhile, is one of the new faces to an experienced, talented starting lineup for the RedHawks. And she’s fitting in well.
“She’s a silent killer,” Kurpeikis said. “She can be really good. She’s quick and can move side to side really well. She jumps really high and can get on top of the ball.”
Her jumping ability helped get the attention of Marist coach Jordan Vidovic.
“She jumps sneaky high,” Vidovic said of Shaw. “She’s one of our highest touchers. She can get up there. She’s starting to come into her own and really use that jump a lot more.
“She’s getting comfortable with the speed we’re trying to play. I think it will go up from there.”
With the merging of the GCAC and the East Suburban Catholic Conference, there are 21 teams divvied up into three seven-team divisions within the league.
The GCAC Red is a meatgrinder with Marist, Mother McAuley, Benet, St. Laurence, Wheaton St. Francis, Loyola and Montini. Teams only play each other once, though. In the past 14 years, 13 Class 4A state titles have been won by teams in this newly formed conference.
Marist will get a steady diet of nationally ranked teams with tournaments in Las Vegas and Fort Wayne, Indiana, along with the McAuley-hosted Asics event. That will test Shaw’s endurance a bit.
“We’re really looking forward to playing the best teams,” she said.
Shaw was a late arrival to the sport as she picked up volleyball in eighth grade playing club. Three years later, she’s a starter on a powerhouse team.
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“Some friends told me I should play volleyball,” Shaw said. “I went to some training camps with them. Some of the coaches started to recognize me and wanted me to do a few small tournaments with them.
“Some of my friends then pulled me over to 1st Alliance with them, and that’s when I really started.”
She stuck with it — and has thrived — ever since.
“I love the environment of volleyball,” Shaw said. “I love all of my friends and how they uplift me. It makes me want to keep going.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.