Marist’s Gene McNulty has had a lot to think about the past few days.
His senior season is over without one set for a kill, one victory or the chance to win a second straight state title in boys volleyball.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the shutdown of Illinois schools for the academic year, the IHSA officially decided Tuesday to cancel its state tournaments for spring sports.
But mixed in with disappointment, McNulty found silver linings and even a sense of humor.
“The way my junior season went, I still have that,” McNulty said. “And I guess we’re still defending state champions, if you look at it that way.”
And then there’s the blessing of already having his college commitment to Carthage.
“I was thinking about that, too,” McNulty said. “At least I still have four more years at a really nice college and four more years playing the sport I love.”
He also will take away some pretty special memories from Marist.
McNulty, a 6-foot-1 setter, was one of the genuine Southland surprises in leading the RedHawks to the state championship in 2019.
He started the season as a part-time player. By midseason, he was the starter. By the time the RedHawks won state, McNulty was a court leader.
“It caught me by surprise,” McNulty said, laughing. “But I wasn’t mad that it happened.”
McNulty finished last season with 671 assists, 112 digs, 21 blocks and 25 aces.
McNulty wasn’t the only one caught by surprise, according to Marist coach Jordan Vidovic.
“I don’t think anybody who knew our team, any opponents or our own guys, would have predicted it,” Vidovic said. “On day one, no one knew that Gene would even get on the court period, let alone ultimately work his way into being the full-time setter, the leader of the offense.”
McNulty didn’t skip any steps on his climb up the ladder of success.
As a freshman, he played on the freshman team. As a sophomore, he played on the JV.
McNulty made his first major impression on Vidovic shortly after joining the varsity.
“He asked me to hold him to the absolute highest standard that I’ve ever held a setter and we’ll see where it goes,” Vidovic said. “He said, ‘Maybe it won’t come into play until next year, but I want to test it out on an extreme level.’
“So we did that, and little by little, he started to really figure things out.”
At the start of McNulty’s junior season, Marist had an experienced setter in Rocky Mayer. But Mayer also had talent as a hitter.
McNulty played sparingly until the Brother Rice Smack Attack. During the semifinals, Vidovic gave McNulty a chance to run a 5-1 offense and had Mayer concentrate on hitting from the right side.
The RedHawks won every match the rest of the season.
“I got the training that I needed and I think it helped make me the player that I was,” McNulty said. “Just sitting back and observing all of the great players who were ahead of me, observing Rocky and learning everything I could have from him. He taught me a lot about leadership.
“Honestly, I think it molded my ability. That, and I trusted coach and I trusted what he was doing.”
Outside hitter Marty Jepsen, a Lewis recruit, became one of McNulty’s favorite targets. Jepsen had a banner season, earning Daily Southtown Player of the Year honors. He shared some of the credit with McNulty.
“Gene never stopped giving me confidence, which is huge coming from your setter,” Jepsen said. “When I saw the amount of confidence he had in me, it made me that much more confident.
“He was able to put people in great positions from a setting standpoint, and he improved throughout the season. We were able to see him grow and step out of his comfort zone to strive to be the best player he could be.”