NORMAL — Mother McAuley’s quest Saturday for a 16th state championship became a sad tale of what if.
What if setter Caroline Macander’s right knee wasn’t sore?
What if she didn’t further aggravate it in a ferocious collision with a teammate midway through the second game?
There were no ifs, however, as to whether she would stay in the final match against Metea Valley.
“Coach (Jen) DeJarld asked me, ‘Hey, I know you’re not feeling good. Do you need a sub?'” Macander said. “I don’t think I could have ever done that. I don’t think I’d ever be able to live with myself.
“I knew I had to use every last bit of effort I had left in me. I would never be able to forgive myself if I didn’t give it my all.”
Macander — and all of her Mighty Macs teammates — received an ovation worthy of a champion from the McAuley faithful following a stunning 15-25, 25-18, 25-17 loss at Illinois State’s Redbird Arena.
Ellie White led McAuley (35-7) with 12 kills and 11 digs. Peyton Brokemond added nine kills, while Northwestern commit Gigi Navarrete made 22 digs and Macander managed 23 assists.
Florida recruit Kira Hutson had 15 kills and 12 digs for Metea (40-2). Alabama-bound libero Morgan Rank recorded 15 digs, while Regan Holmer had 17 assists.
It was a historic night for Metea, which had never won a team state championship in any sport.
The Mighty Macs dominated Game 1. They had a 17-16 lead in Game 2 after an ace by White when the Mustangs flipped the switch.
After an unforced error resulted in a side out, Emily Kozinski’s ace started a game-ending run of points.
In Game 3, the Mighty Macs fell behind early. They flirted with a comeback, but the powerful right arm of Hutson was too much.
“They’re a very, very good team,” Navarrete said. “They’ve got a really solid outside hitter and a solid libero. I’m glad that we ended with a fight and it was a good match to watch. I just wish we had executed more.”
No one wanted to more than Macander.
The 5-foot-11 senior had a great match Friday against Edwardsville with 40 assists. But she woke up Saturday morning with swelling and pain in her right knee.
“We did everything we could today to ice it,” Macander said. “I don’t know what happened. I didn’t do anything I can remember from last night. It could have just been overuse, a lot of play on it.
“When I came out tonight, it felt pretty good to me.”
McAuley trailed 7-5 in Game 2 when, during a scramble for a ball in front of the net, Macander and a teammate collided.
“My knee just twisted a weird way,” Macander said. “It happened pretty fast. When I tried to walk it off, something just felt really, really off to me.”
Macander stayed in, and a few plays later, made an impressive block. But as the match wore on, McAuley’s offense began to break down.
“Caroline hurting herself in the middle of Game 2 completely changed the flow of our game,” DeJarld said. “I was concerned. She said she could play through it, but her movement to the ball kind of slowed things down.
“I think our team was a little bit worried about her. They could tell she was hurt, and I think they just kind of felt her pain a little bit.”
A season like they hadn’t seen since 2016 was over. A huge McAuley gathering let the players know it was appreciated.
“Oh, my gosh, our McAuley student section is amazing,” White said. “They’ve been to every single match, no matter where it was. They’re incredible.
“This season has been an incredible experience. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without everyone on this team. Every single person contributed, everyone was a part of it.”