Libertyville senior setter Makenzie Tyrrell found herself in a crucial moment as she stood at the service line late in the Class 4A McHenry Sectional championship match on Thursday.
Not long ago, Tyrrell couldn’t have imagined she would be in such a position. She had only dabbled in volleyball before she joined Libertyville’s freshman B team in 2021.
“My mom said to go play volleyball and make some friends,” Tyrrell said. “I played middle school volleyball, but I never thought it would go anywhere. I decided to try it again. I realized I like the sport.”
The Wildcats like what the 5-foot-5 Tyrrell brought to the team in her only season as a starter. She contributed 19 assists, six digs and three aces during a showdown between No. 1 seeds in the sectional final. But Huntley ended Libertyville’s bid for a second straight trip to the supersectionals, posting a 25-16, 25-23 victory.
Junior outside hitter Claire Evans wrapped up her breakout season with eight kills and five aces for the Wildcats (26-13), and senior outside hitter Molly Lyon added six kills.
“We were in a better space, I think, in that second set,” Libertyville coach Greg Loika said. “The first set our passing was kind of falling backward. We were much more steady in the second set and more patient.”
Tyrrell, who finished the season with 596 assists, 53 aces, 201 digs, 42 kills and 19 blocks, nearly led the Wildcats to a win in that second set against Huntley (31-8). She drilled an ace to tie the score at 23-23.
“She’s had quite the development as a short setter taking over the reins for a team running a 5-1,” Loika said. “She’s an outstanding leader and is a student of the game. We’re always spending time looking at stats, rotations and video together.”
Loika compared Tyrrell to Erin DeMarco, a 5-5 setter who led the Wildcats to fourth place in 2007.
“As a tiny setter, we worked on blocking a ton,” Loika said. “She’s an exceptional athlete. She’s been amazing all year long. This team wouldn’t have made it here without her.”
Tyrrell credited her gymnastics background for her success at the net.
“Gymnastics definitely helped me with jumping for volleyball,” she said. “As a short setter, people underestimate me. I know I can jump high.”
Tyrrell said she’s satisfied with her growth as a player, especially given her late start in the sport compared to several of her teammates.
“I wasn’t sure I would even make the team in my sophomore year,” she said. “Every year I kept advancing and working my way to the starting position for my senior year.
“It’s all about work ethic. I spent so many days in the gym in order to get to where I needed to be to help this team.”
Junior middle hitter Avery Maddux said building a strong bond with Tyrrell on the court helped the Wildcats.
“I felt we connected really good and we kept communicating with each other and working really hard,” Maddux said. “She really wanted to have a good connection for this season because she knew it would be very beneficial for the team.”
Sophomore libero Charlie Fleegle said Tyrrell also showed her maturity and desire to win by listening to her younger teammates, including Maddux. Fleegle and Maddux were the only returning starters from a team that won 30 matches last season.
“I think our whole team had each other’s backs because it was definitely a whole new team this year with just me and Avery returning,” Fleegle said.
“I supported (Tyrrell) and told her from the beginning that we have her back no matter what. We knew she would be able to do her job and play her role. It was good to see her grow from game one to now.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.
