Mother McAuley senior Mary Kate Sheehan used a tuneful way to get herself mentally ready for the big rematch with Marist.
“On the bus, I sang ‘Rattlin’ Bog,’ an Irish song,” Sheehan said. “It really got me hyped up.”
It was more or less a solo.
“Well, I know all of the lyrics,” Sheehan laughed. “But everyone sang along a little bit.”
Everyone hugged Sheehan on Wednesday night after she had the match of her life for McAuley in a 29-31, 25-12, 25-11 win for the Class 4A Lyons Sectional championship.
Michigan recruit Ellie White led the Mighty Macs (36-3) with 24 kills and 16 digs. Sheehan had eight kills and four blocks, while Ellery Rees added four kills. Tess Hayes had 21 assists, Gigi Navarrete made 23 digs and Sam Falk tallied 16 digs.
Kamryn Chaney paced Marist (31-8) with 16 kills and three blocks. Bella Bullington added 12 kills and 12 digs, while Maddie Berry had 22 assists and Elayna Davidson made 21 digs.
McAuley will play Joliet West (29-10) at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the Eisenhower Supsersectional. The Tigers defeated Sandburg 25-22, 26-24.
Sheehan, a 5-foot-10 right-side hitter, was instrumental in helping the Mighty Macs turn what started out as a classic matchup into a rout.
The John Carroll recruit showed signs during the latter portion of the first game with back-to-back kills. She had another kill for McAuley’s first point in the second game, putting down an overpass.
During a stunning 12-1 run to close out the second game, Sheehan had a kill and a block, underscoring an absolutely tide-turning performance.
And she appeared to be filled with faith.
“I really was confident,” Sheehan said. “I was so confident coming into this match. I wanted to put everything I had on the floor, win or lose.
“I just played my game and trusted all of my teammates. We all played our game so well.”
Indeed, White was a relentless force hitting in both the front and back rows. Navarrete and Falk frustrated the RedHawks, pulling the ball up consistently, and on a few occasions in highlight reel fashion.
But McAuley coach Jen DeJarld didn’t hesitate to name the star of the show.
“Mary Kate Sheehan was amazing,” DeJarld said. “Hitting, blocking, defending. She followed the game plan.
“She’s been solid all year. We knew she could be a dominant hitter. It really came out here.”
White’s perspective?
“Oh, my God,” White said, smiling. “I don’t even have words. She played outstanding. It’s so huge when we can spread out the offense. We can trust Mary Kate so much. She’s a great option at any point in the match.”
Hayes used Sheehan more as a go-to hitter at times than merely an option.
“Mary Kate did so well,” Hayes said. “Over the season, she’s been getting more and more confident. This match proved that she had all the confidence she needed to be herself and play amazing.”
On Sept. 22, Marist dominated McAuley 25-22, 25-19. The RedHawks gritted out the first game at Lyons and were within 13-11 in the second when a shocking turn of events began to unfold.
McAuley not only closed the second game with a 12-1 run, but raced to a 9-0 lead in the third game.
“We were very deliberate in what we wanted to do to start off the match,” Marist coach Jordan Vidovic said. “We were really expecting a back-and-forth battle. There were no surprises there.
“But then when we started giving ourselves opportunities, we had a tough time capitalizing. That wore on us a little bit, and we were hard-pressed to dig our way back. It’s a momentum-driven thing. That’s our sport.”