Marist junior Kamryn Chaney did her usual thing Tuesday night against Joliet Catholic.
The 6-foot-1 outside hitter had the most kills, the most blocks and provided many of the explosive moments as the RedHawks prevailed in a tough-it-out match.
And she was her usual excited self.
“Very excited,” Chaney said. “I’m really working hard, and I have a lot more work to do. We have some fantastic potential looking forward.”
She and a couple of teammates left some big imprints during the 25-18, 25-23 East Suburban Catholic Conference victory.
Chaney had nine kills and four blocks for Marist (14-3, 3-0). Mary Clare Brusek followed with seven kills, Elise Ward contributed six and Bella Bullington added five. Maddie Berry dished out 16 assists and Chloe Arteaga made 12 digs.
Crystal Galaviz led Joliet Catholic (14-5, 1-2) with five kills. Riley Hungate added four kills and nine digs, Alexis Mines had four kills and Samantha Horn totaled 11 assists.
Chaney was projected to be one of the Southland’s most prodigious outside hitters. She suffered an ankle injury in a preseason practice and missed Marist’s first nine matches.
The RedHawks struggled at times, rose above and beyond at others.
“It was actually good to take in the experience and watch the players and watch the team,” Chaney said. “It was nice that my teammates got to work together and build a chemistry.
“But for me, I don’t like to sit. I want to be able to go out there and go full out and play. Now I’m back and I can add to that chemistry.”
Chaney returned Sept. 9 against Oak Park-River Forest. She played sparingly, and still put down 16 kills. Over the weekend, Chaney was the MVP as the RedHawks won the Wheaton Classic.
She’s making up for lost time. And she’s really bringing it.
“It’s great having ‘Kam’ back,” Brusek said. “We really needed that right-side block and her powerful swing. Once she came back, we really came together as a team.”
Brusek, a 6-0 middle hitter, was powerful in her own right against Joliet Catholic.
The Western Michigan recruit was virtually unstoppable on quick sets from Berry. Her final kill was huge, forcing a 23-23 tie in Game 2. Arteaga followed with back-to-back aces.
Brusek had been stuck on the bench while Joliet Catholic took a 23-21 lead. Ward’s clutch kill cut the deficit to 23-22, giving the RedHawks a sideout they badly needed.
“I wasn’t sitting, I was standing,” Brusek said, laughing. “That’s what everyone wants to do — go in and get the big point and bring the team back. We had a great defense that put the ball in a position where we could run the middle.”
When Chaney was injured, Marist coach Jordan Vidovic went to Ward to take over much of her offensive responsibilities. It has paid dividends here down the line.
“I think it kind of shows what getting experience can do for you,” Vidovic said. “Elise now understands how to find different ways to score,
“She knew the situation we were in, and she is someone we know we can really rely on in tough situations.”
Save for a difficult stretch at the end of Game 1, the Angels played Marist pretty much point for point. Stopping Brusek when it mattered proved costly.
“A couple of points here and there we needed to play smarter,” Joliet Catholic coach LaKisha Cameron said. “Marist played on that, which is what a good team should do.
“But it definitely was a good battle. I was hoping we could get a game off of them, but small things at crucial moments made a big difference.”
