Without question, Ellie White was a sophomore sensation this season for Mother McAuley.
A sophomore surprise? Hardly.
White had already established herself as a Southland standout during her freshman season.
What’s really fascinating? To consider what lies ahead for the 2021 Daily Southtown Girls Volleyball Player of the Year.
Mighty Macs coach Jen DeJarld has a pretty clear vision.
“Oh, I think she can be an Under Armour All-American and a Gatorade Player of the Year,” DeJarld said. “She can get better in a lot of areas, and she will.
“I’m really excited after this club season and going into next year to see what level she is going to reach.”
White, a 5-foot-11 outside hitter, led the Mighty Macs (36-7) to a Class 4A state runner-up finish. For the season, she had 568 kills, 303 digs, 51 aces and 38 blocks.
All this while learning a new position. As a freshman, White was a right-side hitter. In middle school, she was a setter.
“Coach DeJarld told me about moving to a new position after the last match in the spring,” White said. “I was a little nervous, but getting used to it was super exciting.
“When we got to the fall, I knew I was ready to begin. This season was just super fun.”
White came to McAuley from St. Alexander School, where she was coached by her mother Colleen, who is now a member of McAuley’s staff.
“My mom has taught me so much,” Ellie White said. “I loved learning from her, but I knew going into high school the pressure would be super high and the competition would be super high.
“I was just excited for it. But I never knew I’d be starting on the varsity as a freshman. I give a lot of credit to coach DeJarld for teaching me so much from last season to this one.”
In her debut as a Mighty Mac, White was an instant showstopper.
She was the first freshman DeJarld ever penciled into her starting lineup for opening night. In that match against Joliet Catholic, she had eight kills, four digs and two blocks.
In 17 matches that season, White finished with 118 kills, 111 digs, 21 blocks and 18 aces. Even from the right side, she was a dominant force.
DeJarld knew, however, that White would be more productive on the outside.
White said, basically, bring it on.
“Having a player just be open to play any position we need her to play is a great thing,” DeJarld said. “Not every player out there wants to change their position, especially when someone has been a setter her whole life.
“That’s a very different position than a six-rotation outside. One is not harder than the other, but to take on this role and have to learn a lot of different things, she just handled it with maturity and a lot of grace.”
And without question.
“She is always open to learning and open to be pushed with challenges,” DeJarld said. “She’s just not fearful taking those risks. Anything I ever ask of her, she just always give me one answer: ‘OK.’ She’s just a very coachable kid.”
Of all the attributes that have major colleges drooling, the biggest might very well be White’s versatility.
She has a lot of power. But White changes gears often during a match.
In one victory over Marist, her most stunning kills came back-to-back on nearly impossible-angle tips from the left. Both times the ball landed by the right pin.
“At practice, we work on those shots,” White said. “I learned throughout the season to see more of the court.
“At the beginning of the season, I was just using my power. But seeing the court and seeing those tips were open really helped improve my physical ability.”
White maintained, though, that she didn’t weave McAuley magic alone in 2021.
“During the matches, I knew I could trust any of the passers to get a good ball to Caroline (Macander),” White said. “The decisions Caroline made were amazing. I could always trust her to set the hitters that could put the ball away. Our chemistry was just incredible. We just flowed.
“Being at state, just going that far was amazing, Even though we didn’t get what we wanted, second place is still awesome. Going into next season, we have the experience, we know what we want and we know what we have to push for.”
She can’t wait to show the way.