Others in the shoes of Mother McAuley’s Riley Wilson might have strongly considered transferring.
in her first year of high school, Wilson made the freshman B team. At McAuley, that usually means the chances of making the varsity would be a longshot. But Wilson wasn’t going anywhere.
“My freshman year, they won the state title,” Wilson said of the Mighty Macs. “I thought to myself, ‘I would love to contribute to that and I would like to be a part of that team culture.’’
In front of an estimated crowd of 2,000, Wilson played her part to perfection Tuesday night.
The senior middle hitter stepped into the spotlight and contributed with eight kills and three blocks to help host McAuley pull off a 19-25, 25-21, 25-21 GCAC Red victory over archrival Marist.
UConn recruit Keira McQuillan notched 15 kills and nine digs for McAuley (25-3, 4-1), while Jayce Prohaska added 11 kills and 16 digs. Coastal Carolina commit Peyton Heatherly had 27 assists and 10 digs. Youngstown State-bound libero Ava Calle chalked up 14 digs.
Western Michigan recruit Taylor Berg led Marist (23-4, 5-1) with 13 kills. Michigan commit Maggie Kurpeikis added 11 for the two-time defending Class 4A state champions.
Sophomore middle/right-side hitter Chyla Jukes didn’t play for “personal reasons,” according to McAuley coach Jen DeJarld. It meant the Mighty Macs needed an extra power player to step up.
“Riley had a lot of different shot selections,” DeJarld said of Wilson’s performance. “And the moves she made on quick-reaction plays — I was really impressed.”
The 6-foot Wilson’s climb from B-team status to playing a big role on the varsity has been huge.
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“The advancement that kid has made in the last three years from freshman year to this is like nothing I’ve seen before,” DeJarld said. “I’ve never had a B-team player become a starter on varsity.”
A key to Wilson’s ascent was the offseason between her freshman and sophomore year.
She came back and impressed the coaching staff so much that DeJarld confirmed there was “no debate” that she would play on the junior varsity as a sophomore. She has thrived ever since.
“I decided that was going to be my turning point,” Wilson said of that offseason. “I wanted to be one of those who freshmen girls who make the B-team say, ‘Look back at Riley Wilson in 2026.’
“I just worked on my middle capabilities and I expanded my hitting range. Hard work pays off.”
Her teammates have been impressed with Wilson’s rise as well.
“We played JV when I was a freshman and she was a sophomore,” McQuillan said of Wilson. “You couldn’t even tell she was on freshman B. I never knew she was on the B team until this year. She’s grown so much and she’s just going to get better.”
“She’s so awesome,” Prohaska said of Wilson. “She’s fast and overall she’s very good at adjusting to the set and bringing great energy.”
Wilson acknowledged she’s getting some college looks but is behind in the recruiting game.
It was the second match between McAuley and Marist in four days. McAuley won 25-20, 23-25, 25-23 in Saturday’s ASICS Challenge semifinals at McAuley. That match, however, didn’t have a packed gym filled with screaming students from both sides as was the case Tuesday.
Postseason seedings will be announced Thursday. It’s a safe bet McAuley and Marist will be the top two seeds at the Class 4A Argo Sectional. If those seeds hold, they would meet up for a third time on Nov. 5 in Summit.
But Wilson isn’t looking that far ahead.
“We need to stay true to our movements and stay true with what we do off the court,” Wilson said. “We need to have an ‘in the now’ mentality.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.