Keira McQuillan first met Mother McAuley coach Jen DeJarld when she was in fifth grade. McQuillan played for the club that DeJarld ran.
Living in the neighborhood, she also went to a lot of the Mighty Macs’ matches.
Truth be told …
“I was scared of coach DeJarld,” McQuillan said, laughing. “I remember coming to McAuley games and she was so intense during the matches. But every time I saw her, I got more and more used to her. And it made me want to play more.
“I got more and more excited about coming here and being a part of the program.”
These days, it’s McQuillan who is putting that fear into the opposition — a characteristic she displayed Thursday night during a 25-15, 25-13 GCAC Red win over St. Laurence in Chicago.
Campbell recruit Cayla Prohaska led host McAuley (17-1, 1-1) with seven kills and eight digs. Chyla Jukes added three kills, Lucy Maloney totaled 10 digs and Peyton Heatherly had 17 assists.
Ball State commit Aubrey Martinez paced St. Laurence (16-7, 0-3) with 10 kills and nine digs. Clancey Bowen added five kills, while Leah Romano tallied 10 digs.
McQuillan, a sophomore, is in her first season on the varsity. She’s on a timeshare program at outside hitter with senior Emily Zaper, who played the entire first game against St. Laurence while McQuillan played in the second.
She didn’t wait long to make a major impact Thursday night. Her first swing produced a rocket shot down the left line that almost knocked down a player in the back row for the Vikings.
Pent-up energy?
“Yeah, maybe a little,” McQuillan said, smiling. “When I’m on the bench, I try to support my teammates and be there for them. But I was excited to get in there and give it my all.”
McQuillan finished the second game with two kills and three digs. All season, she has been a staunch supporter — and producer.
As a hitter, she has the third-most kills on the team behind Prohaska and Jukes. As a server, she has the third-most aces behind Heatherly and Prohaska. She’s been solid on defense as well.
“Keira plays hard,” DeJarld said. “She’s a blaster. Even as a fifth grader, she had a lot of power. She has been doing a great job on the front line, hitting the ball and putting it in different places.”
The power was there when McQuillan enrolled in the fall of 2024 at McAuley. A spot on the varsity, however, was not.
“I didn’t bring her up because she wouldn’t have played,” DeJarld said of last fall’s decision. “But she was a star on the JV team, and that’s where she needed to be.”
Court vision was one of the first things Heatherly noticed after McQuillan made the varsity.
“Yeah, she brings a lot of shots,” Heatherly said. “And when there is a hole in the block, she’ll swing as hard as she needs to. So she has all of her shots down, and her aggressive swing when it needs to happen. She brings a lot of energy.”
The personality is coming.
“Ha-ha, at the beginning, Keira was really shy,” Heatherly said. “She wouldn’t really say much to anyone and she’d stay in the corner. But she has really gotten more comfortable.
“Coach DeJarld always says to bring a presence and talk on the court. That really changed her, and one day, it clicked.”
The McQuillan-Zaper combo, meanwhile, is clicking on all cylinders.
And the “scary” coach is impressed.
“Emily’s role is so critical and Keira’s role is so critical,” DeJarld said. “The most important thing, though, is that they have to support each other. And while they are in a little bit of competition with each other, they both support each other and they’re both contributing.”
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.