For Lemont’s Maddie Maloney, cereal was more than just a breakfast food.
When she took up volleyball in fifth grade, Maloney had no idea where to stand. Her mother, Becky, whose maiden name is Hart, played at Stagg and in college at Tampa and helped her out.
“She showed me the rotation using some Cheerios,” Maddie said of her mom. “I was so confused, and she showed me the basics. I didn’t even know which position I was going to play.”
Over time, Maloney has gone from learning with Cheerios to evoking cheers.
The sophomore outside hitter, who is becoming a force for Lemont, came up big Wednesday night during an exciting 27-25, 25-23 nonconference win over host Lincoln-Way West in New Lenox.
Maloney and Marta Pranskunas totaled seven kills apiece for Lemont (8-5), while Kaitlyn Wilson and Fiona Tkach each had five. Bella Alagna added 11 digs and Olivia Sarno notched 29 assists.
Emma Novotny led Lincoln-Way West (6-7) with seven kills. North Carolina-Wilmington recruit Lily Goyer and Kaylea Armstrong finished with five kills apiece. Armstrong also tallied three aces.
North Central College recruit Nora Miller — who had five aces, including the 26th point in the first game and the 22nd and 23rd points in the second — related another aspect for Lemont
The team was coming off Tuesday’s 25-21, 25-18 win over Evergreen Park in a South Suburban Conference crossover but trailed 5-1 right away. Eric Michaelsen, the school’s principal, talked about that with Miller in the hallway Wednesday.
“He said, ‘You scared me at that home game last night,’” Miller said of Michaelsen, Lemont’s former head football coach. “He said, ‘Don’t start down like that again.’”
Lemont’s players didn’t listen, though, getting down 14-4 in the first game against the Warriors and facing a 6-0 deficit in kills. Lemont came back, however, and won a pair of nail-biting games.
“I definitely think that we are good at coming back,” Maloney said. “But we were down by so much. We need to improve on that.”
Speaking of improving, Maloney has taken some steps forward from last season when she was a freshman on the JV team.
“I was her big sister last year,” Miller said of Maloney. “As a varsity player, you get to pick a freshman who is new to the school, and I picked Maddie. Honestly, we sit on the bus together and have a lot of fun.
“I’m just happy that she’s someone who can bring the ball down. As a sophomore, it’s impressive. It’s just going to make people scared of us in the future, too.”
While Miller has her college choice sewn up, she’s already getting Maloney started on contacting colleges and putting her name out there.
“Nora was so welcoming to me,” Maloney said. “I was so excited and nervous to be on the team, and she really brings out the energy and brings us up.”
Lemont coach Chris Zogata also likes Maloney’s athleticism.
“She takes a good, aggressive swing,” Zogata said of Maloney. “That’s the big thing. She just swings aggressively at the ball, and we’re working with her now on being able to swing high off their block. As she gets older, she’s going to need to learn how to hit a few more shots.
“But we’re going to let her swing away right now as long as she is getting kills and learning to watch where the block is.”
Zogata added if Maloney can tighten up her defense, she could develop into a six-rotation player.
Maloney played club for the Attack, and that helped her game this fall.
“In the club season, Maddie was playing right side and she’s made a really big adjustment going to the outside,” Miller said. “I think playing the right has helped her grow as an outside hitter.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.