Assumption (KY) Edges Mother McAuley (IL) in Three-Set Thriller

<p>Let's take a moment to relive last night's instant classic.</p>   <p>As a prelude to this weekend's ASICS Challenge, Chicago's Mother McAuley High School hosted Assumption High School from Kentucky in what turned out to be an absolute gauntlet in the best-of-three format. These two legendary programs fittingly went the distance Thursday night, and we clearly have a lot to discuss. </p>   <p>Here's the breakdown.</p>   <p></p>   <p><strong>Go-To Attackers</strong></p>   <p>We had an idea of who would be the featured attackers in this showdown, and each team's respective stars certainly rose to the forefront Thursday night.</p>   <p>Mother McAuley found a way to get junior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='135954' first='Ellie' last='White'] involved no matter where she was on the court. It didn't take long for the Michigan commit to eclipse double-digit kills in this contest, and her out-of-system swings on the pipe were particularly effective. White's standout attacking skills were also accompanied by some strong blocking moves in the frontcourt. She provided some pivotal defensive plays that eventually elevated the Mighty Macs to a win in the opening set.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1575647648819732481?s=20&t=XlWkSN0L7JknxVvTGTkCsg </div></figure>   <p>On the other side of McAuley's left-side hitter spot, sophomore <strong>Sydney Buchanan</strong> took full advantage of her trips through the front row. She is an instant source of energy for her team and can put down some incredibly assertive swings when she's in rhythm. It's the same playstyle I remember from Buchanan's successful club campaign with 1st Alliance.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1575663646541492226?s=20&t=XlWkSN0L7JknxVvTGTkCsg </div></figure>   <p>McAuley improving its offensive balance throughout the match with versatile attackers like <strong>Jillian Moonan</strong>, Mary Kate Sheehan, and [player_tooltip player_id='135951' first='Keira' last='Ohse'] getting involved. Even while facing a tough out-of-state opponent, the Mighty Macs still know how to put their depth on display.</p>   <p>Of course, go-to attackers were readily available for the visitors, too. Though Assumption is competing without senior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='106668' first='Sydney' last='Helmers'] this fall, the Rockets have all the pieces necessary to run an electric offense. Junior pin hitter [player_tooltip player_id='107417' first='Charlotte' last='Moriarty'] has emerged as a new leader for this group, and her all-around skills encompass a lot more than just the ability to put down kills. We always expect some six-rotation talent from Assumption, and Moriarty brings that versatility to this year's squad.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='207240' first='Emma' last='Barnett'] has also stepped up this year and had brilliant showing in Thursday night's high-pressure environment. The sophomore found a lot of success attacking high off the hands of McAuley's big block, and that also helped keep the vaunted Mighty Mac backcourt from making first contacts.</p>   <p>On top of all this success from the Rocket left sides, Assumption still took the opportunity to feed its talented middles whenever the pass was good enough. South Carolina commit [player_tooltip player_id='106664' first='Gabrielle' last='Gerry'] received plenty of attacking volume Thursday night and managed to terminate often, even as Mother McAuley committed two blockers to her. Then, when Gerry rotated to the backcourt, sophomore middle blocker [player_tooltip player_id='172951' first='Bailey' last='Blair'] promptly stepped in and produced highlight moments of her own.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1575660927223230464?s=20&t=XlWkSN0L7JknxVvTGTkCsg </div></figure>   <p></p>   <p><strong>Ball Control, Ball Control, Ball Control</strong></p>   <p>After all that talk of go-to attackers, it may seem foolish to claim that the strength of Mother McAuley and Assumption is the quality of first and second contacts. But, I think there's a good argument to be made here. Ball control in this match was fantastic.</p>   <p>If you're in the market for a stat-stuffing libero duel, this was the contest for you. After watching 1st Alliance 17 Gold throughout the club season and seeing that team win a GJNC championship, I knew what Mighty Mac libero [player_tooltip player_id='138650' first='Gigi' last='Navarrete'] brought to the table. The Northwestern commit passion and effort shine every time she's on the court, and it's the same story no matter what jersey she's wearing. Thursday night offered my first live look at Navarrete in the Mother McAuley gym, and the senior's floor defense was impeccable.</p>   <p>It takes two to create a libero duel, though, and Assumption owes a lot of its ball control success to sophomore libero [player_tooltip player_id='172945' first='Kristen' last='Simon']. A lot of readers here are aware that Assumption has effectively been an elite defensive specialist factory since the dawn of time. Wearing the Rocket libero jersey carries a little extra weight, but Simon doesn't seem flustered by that pressure at all. She racked up double-digit kills before the first set was over and joined Navarrete in compiling over 20 kills in just three sets. Incredible.</p>   <p>We've got to give some credit to the setters, too. Junior setter [player_tooltip player_id='128186' first='Chloe' last='Smith'] was a huge stabilizing force for Assumption when Mother McAuley made an emotional comeback late in the deciding third. It takes a steely leader to maintain composure in a deafening crowd like the one we had Thursday night, and Smith is that player for the Rockets.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1575655524947103745?s=20&t=XlWkSN0L7JknxVvTGTkCsg </div></figure>   <p>Mother McAuley hasn't shied away from two-setter systems this year, which is a further testament to the team's roster depth. [player_tooltip player_id='225769' first='Tess' last='Hayes'] made an early splash while helping the Mighty Macs win the first set, while fellow senior <strong>Olivia Klapp</strong> also had a steady hand in Thursday's action. Regardless of how you feel about two-setter offenses, there's no questioning that Mother McAuley has enough talent to make it run smoothly.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1575644227572097024?s=20&t=XlWkSN0L7JknxVvTGTkCsg </div></figure>   <p>In the end, Assumption battled through McAuley's depth and enthusiastic home crowd to win 2-1 (19-25, 25-18, 25-23). This is just the start of this weekend's volleyball in Chicago, however, so stick around for our live coverage of the ASICS Challenge. Mother McAuley and Assumption will be there, and so will I.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1575664960918945792?s=20&t=XlWkSN0L7JknxVvTGTkCsg </div></figure>

Let's take a moment to relive last night's instant classic.