It was more than fitting that junior outside hitter Sydney Buchanan had the final kill Wednesday night for Mother McAuley. It was mandatory.
Oh, there were other stepper-uppers, but Buchanan was the standout.
And Michigan recruit Ellie White put it best.
“Sydney just had the game of her life,” White said. “Honestly, I’m speechless. She came here, knew she had a job to finish, and she certainly did that.
“She took things into her own hands. She dominated.”
And so did the host Mighty Macs, who never let off the gas pedal in a stunning 25-11, 25-19 win over Marist in the Class 4A Mother McAuley Sectional championship match.
Buchanan led the way for McAuley (34-5) with 11 kills and two blocks. White added seven kills and Ellery Rees contributed five. Sam Falk made 16 digs, while Peyton Heatherly had 25 assists and eight digs.
Northwestern recruit Bella Bullington finished with eight kills for Marist (33-5). Briana Hill and Cassidy Cage had four kills apiece, while Elise Bocanegra tallied 12 digs and Maddie Berry chipped in with 20 assists and 15 digs.
Buchanan, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter, dominated from the very beginning. She had to because of a strategy by McAuley coach Jen DeJarld that saw White start in the back row.
It was up to Buchanan to set the offensive pace for the Mighty Macs, who advanced to a 7 p.m. Friday match in the Normal Community Sectional against Normal West (35-4), a 20-25, 25-16, 26-24 winner over Belleville East.
“It was definitely something I knew I was going to have to establish at the beginning,” Buchanan said. “I felt like I was ready. I wanted to put my all into it and just swing away.
“No matter what happened, I was determined to keep swinging, listen to coach and what she said and know where the spots were. I did all of that, and I’m happy about it.”
Buchanan responded with three kills during McAuley’s first five points. She set a definite pace as the Mighty Macs ran off to an 11-5 lead and cruised in the first game.
Later, she again was the straw-stirrer with two kills and a block during a flurry in the middle of the second game that saw McAuley establish a comfortable lead.
That final kill? Heatherly made sure to get her the ball. It was a no-doubter.
Good call, coach.
“Sydney was amazing,” DeJarld said. “We rotated our lineup for matchups with blocking. That meant Sydney had to carry the weight and be the star. And she certainly was.”
And beyond that …
“Overall, and I don’t normally say this, but I felt we played flawless,” DeJarld said. “We got a touch on everything but maybe one or two, we slowed down the block, we passed nails and challenged them every way we could.
“I almost was tearing up in the second game because it was so beautiful to watch.”
Buchanan has been a major producer this season for the Mighty Macs. She’s second behind White with 172 kills. Now, her confidence is at an all-time high — after not long ago maybe being at an all-time low.
“We’ve been working hard on her mental game,” DeJarld said. “Sydney beats up on herself a lot, and at the Autumnfest Tournament, it affected her play.
“We had a long talk about that, and about just having better coping skills and getting ready for the next ball.”
Buchanan didn’t miss a beat on her swings against Marist.
“I felt that I dipped in the middle of the season,” she said. “I started doubting myself, and I was struggling for a bit. It was hard. Today, I really trusted my team and I trusted my coach.
“I’ve been writing my feelings down, noticing my emotions and taking it in. It has really been helping me mentally, and it really helped me here.”
She planned on getting a good night’s rest, too.
“I’ll go to sleep feeling like I did what I needed to do,” Buchanan said, smiling. “But I definitely have to keep going. This is not the end.”