At a very young age, Alyson Cahill was already a fixture in Mother McAuley’s gym.
Her mother, Erica, was a junior varsity coach for the Mighty Macs. During practices and matches, Alyson and her older sister, Grace, turned the place into their home away from home.
“Before I even started playing, I fell in love with the atmosphere of the sport,” Alyson said, recalling fond memories of her childhood. “McAuley’s fan section always came and packed the stands.
“I knew that one day, I wanted to be that player out there.”
Alyson Cahill, a junior middle hitter, is definitely a player out there now. She was a key Saturday in helping the Mighty Macs win the championship of the 24-team ASICS Challenge in Chicago.
Cahill, a Troy recruit, came up with five kills and five blocks as the Mighty Macs beat Assumption of Kentucky for the second time in three days with a 25-23, 25-17 decision in the finals.
UConn recruit Keira McQuillan, who was named to the all-tournament team, added 10 kills for McAuley (24-3), which took the title for the seventh time in history and first since 2023.
Coastal Carolina commit Peyton Heatherly had 22 assists and Youngstown State-bound libero Ava Calle delivered 15 digs for the Mighty Macs, who also beat Assumption 25-23, 25-21 in a nonconference match Thursday. Assumption beat McAuley 26-24, 25-20 on Sept. 12 in Kentucky.
“This says that we’re getting better,” McQuillan said. “Beating them twice in three days is amazing, and it shows how hard we’ve been working.”
More Top Picks Best Vitamins With Probiotics
Assumption (29-3) entered the tournament ranked third in the nation by the American Volleyball Coaches Association/USA Today, while McAuley was 15th.
Cahill, meanwhile, has been working hard to become a force in the middle for the Mighty Macs.
“Outside of volleyball, she’s one of my best friends,” McQuillan said of Cahill. “She’s one of the best middles in the state right now for our age and it really shows.”
Mother McAuley coach Jen DeJarld sees that potential as well.
“We’re pushing Alyson to be a higher-level blocker,” DeJarld said. “We’re pushing her to score more points for us and having our setters trusting our middles.
“When we get the ball to them, we tend to do good things.”
While the championship match was the main event, Saturday’s semifinal had a ton of intrigue for Southland girls volleyball fans. The Mighty Macs beat archrival Marist 25-20, 23-25, 25-23.
The RedHawks are the two-time defending Class 4A state champion.
Cahill contributed six blocks, and with Marist leading 22-21 in the third game, she had a kill and teamed with McQuillan on a block for a 23-22 lead. McQuillan polished it off with a kill and an ace.
McQuillan finished with 14 kills and Jayce Prohaska added 11. Michigan recruit Maggie Kurpeikis paced Marist (23-3) with 13 kills, while Western Michigan-bound Taylor Berg added 12.
The two national powerhouses will face each other again Tuesday night at McAuley in a GCAC Red match. Cahill, for one, enjoyed the wild ride of Saturday’s semifinal.
“It was super exciting and they are one of our biggest competitors,” Cahill said of Marist. “Every game is big for us, but that one has a different feeling and brings so much excitement because we know these girls so well.”
Alyson and sister Grace were teammates last season om the varsity for McAuley. Grace is now a freshman setter at NCAA Division II Spring Hill in Alabama. Alyson is set to go to Troy in two years.
More Top Picks Laser Measure
“They watched me all season long when I played club,” Alyson said. “I like the coaches because they are good, genuine people. I went to their camp in the summer and it was a good vibe.
“I think it’s what’s best for me.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.