Weiler drive spurs Macs

Here they are, the preseason No. 6 Mighty Macs of Mother McAuley: (front row) Carli Weiler, coach Jen DeJarld and Melissa Joyce; (back  row) Kelly Griffin, Courtney Stack, Cate Ryan and Val Zulevic. 
(Matthew Grotto/Daily Southtown)

Font Size

Email

Bookmark

Black Text

White Text

When the coaches rolled a television into the team meeting room on the first day of practice, Mother McAuley libero Carli Weiler and her teammates suspected they were not being treated to a rerun of ‘‘Desperate Housewives.’’

‘‘We knew right away what the TV was for,’’ Weiler said.

Before hitting a single ball in anger, the Mighty Macs sat through a replay of last year’s supersectional loss to Hinsdale South.

‘‘Last year, we kind of just took it in and really didn’t talk about it much,’’ Weiler said. ‘‘But now it definitely is giving us a lot of motivation. It gives us some fuel for this year.’’

It’s not as if Weiler needs a lot of motivation. Mother McAuley volleyball has been a part of her life since birth.

Her mother, Mary (nee: Boyle), was a member of McAuley’s first state-championship team in 1977. Four aunts played at McAuley. Weiler was even a flower girl in former player and current coach Jen DeJarld’s wedding 14 years ago.

‘‘We laugh about it now,’’ DeJarld said. ‘‘But while we were trying to take pictures in the church, she was running laps around the altar, ringing the bells.’’

That same restless energy has made the Michigan State-bound Weiler one of the top liberos in the state, if not the country.

‘‘She is really driven,’’ DeJarld said. ‘‘You can see the hunger in her eyes. That’s what gives her an edge. She’s reads the ball real well and she’s quick on her feet. But she also has no problem throwing her body everywhere.’’

Weiler’s training as a gymnast comes in handy. It’s also one of the reasons she hits the ball left-handed, although the right is her dominant hand.

‘‘I had arthroscopic surgery on my right elbow when I was in seventh grade,’’ Weiler said. ‘‘I wasn’t able to hit the ball with my right hand, so I made myself left-handed. I do everything with my right hand except play volleyball.’’

But if Weiler has her way, she will need both hands on Nov. 10 in Normal. Those championship trophies are heavy.