ALL GROWN UP
In and out of lineup for two years, senior middle hitter kept going for Mother McAuley. And now? ‘She’s been amazing.’
I love a good “when it all began” story.
Mother McAuley girls volleyball coach Jen DeJarld told me a really cool one the other day regarding senior middle hitter Keira Ohse.
When it all began, the 6-foot-1 Ohse wasn’t the player she is today. But she was still tall.
Ohse was in eighth grade at Mount Greenwood Elementary School, playing for the girls
basketball team in a tournament at Trinity High School. Along with Maeve Egan, Morgan Feil and Grace Zaper, she was a multisport athlete.
It was Sunday, and DeJarld had a choice to make.
“I could have gone to Wake Forest to watch my daughter Jane play,” DeJarld said. “But I stayed home that weekend. Meg (Gardner) and I took a ride to Trinity to watch them play.
“We just wanted to show our presence — let them know how much we valued them and how much we wanted them.”
All four came to McAuley. For Ohse, it would be the beginning of an interesting journey that saw ups and downs but right
now is sailing full-speed ahead.
Ohse was one of the leaders for the champion Mighty Macs at the Metea Valley/Oswego East Tournament. Over the final three matches, she totaled 11 kills on 17 attempts and added eight blocks.
Mind-blowing numbers? Probably not. But she has become an equal part of a monster hitting crew that includes Ellie White, Ellery Rees and Sydney Buchanan.
“I think Keira is more aggressive in everything she does this season,” DeJarld said. “She’s attacking the ball more aggressively, being smarter with the shots she’s choosing and getting more touches on the block. She is a true leader out there.” She’s definitely feeling it. “Yeah, I’ve been taking the weight training really seriously, and I’m definitely feeling the results,” Ohse said. “All that our trainer (John Griffin) has done for us, we appreciate it.”
Ohse smiled when I told her DeJarld’s story about that visit to Trinity. She has never forgotten.
“That was crazy,” Ohse said. “I was very surprised, for sure. It was a supercool experience. It was crazy to see the high school volleyball coach be there. She was our big person we looked up to in our lives.