Raising Kane at Notre Dame
McAuley graduate goes through baptism of fire with ‘gratitude you don’t see with most people’
WhenNancy Kane says that NotreDame has been her dream college since shewas a baby, she can prove it.
Shewas baptized there. “There is a log chapel on campus back by the grotto,” Kane said. “My parents loved this place. My dad proposed tomymomon campus.
“They got one of their good friends to come and baptize me, sowe drove up here to the log chapel.”
TheMotherMcAuley graduate is certainly living the dream in South Bend during her sophomore season as a regular contributor for thewomen’s volleyball team.
The Irish havewon their first three matches. Kane, a 5-foot-11 setter, has chipped in with 17 digs and one ace.
I sawher land that ace in a televised match against Syracuse. She looked so excited on the TV screen, and she laughed when I told her so.
“Haha … itwas awesome,” Kane said. “I mean, it’s such a cool feeling. It’s something you dream about your entire life, and when it happens, you can’t even believe it.
“Having everything on TV is so nice, especially this year whenwe can’t have fans. My brothers and stuff are still able towatch me. It’s just really cool to be out there.”
Kane’s story is about as neat as they come.
As a high school sophomore, Kanewas the starting setter for the MightyMacs. Led by junior standout CharleyNiego, they not onlywere the 2016 Class 4A state champions, they also ended up ranked as theNo. 1 team in the nation.
The following season, Kane andNiego helped leadMcAuley to the supersectional. As a senior, Kane started over with a very young team and kept the Mighty Macs competitive.
During her senior year, Kane had her share of scholarship offers, but when she received a preferredwalk-on offer from NotreDame, she didn’t hesitate.
“It kind of came out of nowhere,” Kane said. “Iwasn’t expecting it. But I knew that once it came this is where I needed to be.
“During the whole process, I alwayswanted to go toNotre Dame. So itwas always in the back ofmy head. For it to come up at the last minute, Iwas so excited for the opportunity and so ready to begin.”
Shewasn’t the only one who was excited.
As an assistant coach atNotre Dame since 2015 and as the head coach since 2018, Mike Johnson sawthe program strike gold twice atMotherMcAuley— first with Ryann DeJarld and then with Niego.
One conversation in particular with MightyMacs coach Jen DeJarld sold him.
“Jen said, ‘Nancy Kane is the perfect person to have in the gym,’ ” Johnson related. “She said Iwould never regret it if I brought her in.
“I’ll be honest. I hear that from coaches across America. Sometimes you go, ‘OK, sure.’ But when Jen DeJarld tells me that, I believe her. So I trusted her and broughtNancy in based on what I sawfromher as a player but also
what I learned fromJen about her.”
He has not been disappointed. “Everything Jen said about Nancywas true,” Johnson said. “Nancy comes into the gym every daywith a smile. She approaches life with a level of gratitude you don’t see frommost people.
“I guarantee she’s learned that from her parents. AndNancy has always been willing to step in and fill whatever rolewe might need on a particular day. The fact that she’s done that and continued to improve says so much about her.”
Kane has been primarily a server and defender in the back
rowfor the Irish, but she’sworking hard in practice as the backup setter.
In the meantime, she has been the sturdy, steady, supportive teammate who is a total blessing to be around, according toNiego.
“Nancy has a positive attitude about everything she does,” Niego said. “I have never heard her once complaining. She is always positive, and has such a contagious presence on the court. It makes everyone around her better.”
Mark it down. Her turn will come running theNotreDame offense.
Shewas born for it.