As a freshman, Oswego East’s Mia Stanley watched the program win its first-ever regional title.
Her eyes were always drawn to Cailyn Smiley. And one day, Stanley hoped she would have the same type of impact on the Wolves that Smiley had during that historic season.
“She was super inspirational to me,” Stanley said. “I looked up to her — still do. I just saw how she placed her ball and made shots even in stressful situations, so just try to copy that, mimic that.”
Flash forward two seasons, and Stanley put that inspiration into practice Wednesday.
The junior outside hitter ended the second game with an ace and closed the match with one of her team-high six kills in a dramatic 14-25, 25-21, 27-25 nonconference victory over host Waubonsie Valley in Aurora.
Stanley added two aces for the Wolves (1-0), while Gia Sylvestre chipped in with four kills and Ava Stiller had three kills and a block. Ava Bellafiore and Kaitlyn Reinhard paced Waubonsie (0-2) with six kills. Olivia O’Hara had five kills, two aces and two blocks. Naomi Dowd also tallied five kills.
But this night belonged to Stanley.
“Last year I told her, ‘You are going to be our No. 1 hitter,’” Oswego East coach Dina Beamon said. “You’re OH1. I told her, you have to lead, and she was a little nervous about it because it was the first time she was on varsity.
“If she keeps doing what she’s doing, she’s going to be the go-to player all year.”
Oswego East managed only four wins last season as most of the key players from the program’s best team to date graduated. Although Beamon said that season took a toll on the Wolves, their confidence didn’t waver after being dominated in Wednesday’s first game.
“I did not doubt them,” Beamon said. “I went back and I told them, ‘Are you guys good? Got that out of your system? We’re going to get the next one.’ And we did that.”
Stanley said Beamon’s confidence in her and the team, both in the match and throughout the offseason, helped her be ready to step up in that situation.
“Her trust in me definitely showed on the court,” Stanley said. “It definitely brings up the energy. It helps me push my teammates and it helps me push myself.”
Waubonsie forced a 21-21 tie in the second game and had the serve, but the Wolves forced a side out and never gave the ball back. Samantha Craft put away a kill, followed by a Waubonsie error, to set up Stanley’s ace to even the match.
“First game, we came out feeling really confident,” Waubonsie coach Kari Galen said. “We were able to capitalize on errors from Oswego East. We were just coming out with more power, more strength and more confidence. I think we got a little bit comfortable.
“When we decided to make some changes, we did not adjust well in the second set.”
Oswego East held the lead for much of the third game and then trailed 22-21, but the Wolves ended the match on a 6-3 run. Alison Coy had a dramatic block in that rally before Stanley’s kill clinched the win and helped erase some of the heartache of last season.
“It was definitely great to have that comeback,” Stanley said. “We’re feeling really good about this season. That first win sets a good tone.”
Stanley was in the middle of it too, emerging as the leader Beamon envisioned last year.
“I definitely want to build up my teammates,” Stanley said. “That’s my goal. I was definitely trying to build up that morale. It doesn’t matter what the score is — there’s always the next point.
“It feels fantastic, especially after last year. It feels great.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
