Mother McAuley’s Cayla Prohaska has picked up a nickname from one of her teammates.
The 6-foot senior outside hitter has been piling up kills this season for the Mighty Macs. As a result, she has drawn the admiration of fellow senior outside hitter Emily Zaper.
“I like to say she’s a silent ninja,” Zaper said of Prohaska. “Because you don’t expect her to do what she is doing.”
Prohaska’s game was anything but silent Wednesday night.
The Campbell recruit came up with 14 kills and seven digs to help the host Mighty Macs pull off a 25-17, 19-25, 25-22 nonconference win over reigning Class 4A state champion Marist in Chicago.
Zaper finished with seven kills, including six in the third game for McAuley (16-1). Peyton Heatherly added 25 assists and eight digs, while Clemson commit Lucy Maloney had 17 digs.
Savanah Weathers led Marist (16-3) with 13 kills. Michigan recruit Maggie Kurpeikis added 10.
Prohaska, meanwhile, received her volleyball chops from her parents. Her father, Rob, is the men’s coach at Trinity Christian and actually played at Marist. Her mother Christine, whose maiden name is Jagodzinski, was a standout at Stagg before playing in college for Loyola.
“My dad is all McAuley for volleyball now,” said Cayla, whose sister, Jayce, also plays for the Mighty Macs, but her brother, Dylan, plays soccer at Marist. “He is all Marist for soccer.”
It also was a new experience for two freshmen in this heated rivalry, and both shined. McAuley middle Chyla Jukes notched 10 kills. Marist setter Haven Enselman had 38 assists and four kills.
After the match, McAuley students ran onto the court, cheered and danced with the Mighty Macs’ players to “Lean On Me.” It was quite a different vibe from Sept. 18, when McAuley suffered a stunning 25-20, 25-16 loss against Loyola in Wilmette.
“Nobody wants to lose, but it can be a good lesson when you lose,” Cayla said. “It’s like we’re a completely different team. We got that game out of our system. This game is who we are.
“We have a different attitude and a different mentality. We have a different confidence. Everything.”
The weekend before the Loyola loss, McAuley won the Louisville Invitational
“We all felt very confident, and it kind of shook us when we played bad against Loyola,” Prohaska said. “But we reminded ourselves who we are and we are taking pressure as a challenge.”
Both Cayla and Jayce were challenged last season when they were asked to play middle.
But now, they are back and playing pin positions for coach Jen DeJarld, who also is glad to have them back in their natural spots.
“They had to fill a void that we had in the middle,” DeJarld said of the Prohaska sisters. “Jayce is still learning right side a little bit. But I’m really proud of Cayla. She’s really come along with her attacking and just seeing the court and making better selections.
“She struggled with that in the past. She used to hit low and get blocked easily. She was kind of one-dimensional. And now she has become a three-dimensional player.”
Likewise, Zaper enjoys what she has been seeing from her “silent ninja.”
“Cayla is a fantastic hitter,” Zaper said. “She’s a captain and she’s a leader. I look up to her. If I’m having trouble passing or hitting, she slows me down and brings me up.”
Prohaska has been playing the sport since she can remember. And she still loves it.
“I love how competitive it is — I’m a very competitive person,” she said. “I love the skills and being a part of something special and being able to make lifelong friendships and just having fun.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.