Mighty Macs bounce back, claim third

NORMAL -- Saturday’s Class 4A third-place game at Redbird Arena was particularly difficult for tradition-rich Mother McAuley, which has failed to reach the state championship match only seven times in 23 appearances.

“This was a real tough match for us coming off last night’s tough loss (to Benet),” McAuley coach Jen DeJarld said. “It took awhile to regroup. But these girls are too proud to go out any other way (than with a win).”

McAuley (39-3) got 10 kills from senior outside hitter Kelly Griffin, 18 assists and eight digs from senior setter Desiree Aramburu, and contributions from the entire roster to defeat first-time semifinalist Evanston 25-16, 25-19.

Evanston (30-12) tried to stay with the Might Macs early, grabbing a 10-8 lead in Game 1 on a kill by Megan McCareins and a McAuley error. But McAuley answered with a 12-3 run to coast to the first-game win.

The second game was more McAuley-like as the Macs roared out to a 23-9 lead. DeJarld cleared her bench, which led to a few anxious moments. But the coach was not concerned.

“Not at all,” she said. “Sometimes it’s hard when you throw people in different situations. But I knew we’d pull it out at the end.”

One of the players who did not leave the floor in Game 2 was libero Sue Hayes, who savored her final moments with her teammates.

“It was so much fun,” Hayes said. “This is the last time I will be playing with my best friends. To go out with a win was all that you could ask for.”

Chelsea Lawrence led Evanston with seven kills, Hannah Folz had 15 assists and five digs, and Ali Gossen added four kills.

“We had a great season,” Evanston coach Pam MacPherson said. “We had a better season than most people thought we would. We handed out T-shirts at the beginning of the season that said, ‘Tradition Starts Now.’”

Gossen, a junior outside hitter, will be part of the tradition.

“We’re going to learn from this experience and come back next year even stronger,” she said.

If they do, there’s a good chance they’ll see McAuley, again.