ONE FOR THE AGES
The votes are in. In 1981, McAuley and Sandburg staged one of the greatest state championship matches in IHSA history.
I have something really cool to tell you about today. But first, a trivia question.
Can you guess the last time two Southland teams met in a state volleyball championship match?
Would you believe me if I said itwas nearly 40 years ago?
It’s true. MotherMcAuley and Sandburg met on Saturday, Nov. 14, 1981, at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield.
McAuley, with a 75-match winning streak, was the heavy favorite. Sandburg, however, didn’t go down without a fight before the MightyMacs prevailed 15-9, 15-13.
Which leads me to the cool news.
The Illinois High School Association will present this match— along with interviews with those who participated— on the NFHSNetwork during theweekend ofNov. 13-14.
Also being shown will be the 1996 Class AA state champi
onship match between Downers Grove South andMother McAuley, the 2008 Class 1A championship match between Eastland and A-C Central, and the 2010 Class 1A championship match betweenHeyworth and ScalesMound.
Allwere chosen in a social media poll as the best for each
decade.
This had to be the most fun project IHSA associate executive directorKurt Gibson has taken part in since earlyMarch.
“It has been of a goal of ours for a while to get more attention behind the girls championships,” Gibson said.“We knewwe had content fromthe old volleyball matches on our YouTube channel. Sowe said, ‘Let’s create some bestmatches from different decades and let the fans vote.’”
I’m hoping among those interviewed for the telecasts will beMotherMcAuley stars Therese Boyle-Niego and Katie Schumacher-Cawley, and Sandburg standout JulieMaginotFahy.
I had a blast talking with them about those back-in-theday memories. Here are a few highlights.
For Boyle, the 1981 match against Sandburgwas a second chance. She didn’t play in the previous year’s state championship match due to illness.
“I came down with a really severe virus,” Boyle-Niego said. “They thought I had spinal meningitis.”
The MightyMacs, who hadn’t lost in two seasons, weren’t expecting a cakewalk.
“We knew and respected Sandburg,” Boyle-Niego said. “We played club with some of them. JulieMaginotwas one of the top players in the state. She was this mighty player whowas only 5-6. But she had something to prove.”
Maginotwas the Eagles’ leader. She grew up in the city and had eyes for McAuley, but her family moved to Georgia.
They returned to the Southland before her junior year, and she enrolled at Sandburg.
Itwas a boost for Sandburg’s program, which went to state two consecutive seasons.
“Itwas a lot of fun,” Maginot-Fahy said.“We were celebrated left and right. They had pep rallies. Therewas a lot of enthusiasm for volleyball.
“I knew before that match theMcAuley team was basicallymy club team without me. We knew what wewere up against, butwe went in with the belief that we could figure out away to win.”
How’s this for neat? Boyle andMaginot both played in college at Pacific andwon a national title together in 1985.
Katie Schumacher played volleyball and basketball atMcAuley from 1993 to 1997. During those years, the MightyMacs went to state three times in basketball, and four times in volleyball. Theywon it all in volleyball in 1994 and 1995.
In that 1996 match againstDowners Grove South, she had 28 kills, setting a record for state championship matches that still stands to this day.
Schumacherwent down swinging like a champion, twice landing kills for sideout at the end of Game 3 to delayDowners Grove South from completing a 15-12, 10-15, 15-13 victory.
“Oh, noway,” Schumacher-Cawley said, laughing. “I don’t remember that. I just remember howintense the teamwas and howeveryonewanted it so badly. At the end of the day, we knewwe gave it our best.
“Win or lose, itwas fun to be a part of that atmosphere. I had such respect for that DownersGrove South program. Theywere always classy, and like McAuley, they played hard. Obviously, itwas a special match to be voted as the best of that decade, right?”
Without a doubt.