Killer instinct

SARASOTA — Maddie McNally approaches the net with a competitive fire in her eye.

The Cardinal Mooney sophomore outside hitter is anything but intimidated.

With each serve, McNally positions herself to make the most of every opportunity. She waits for the ball to come back her way before forcing it back down over the net.

As a cheer rises up from the Cardinal Mooney faithful, a rush of excitement courses through McNally as she quickly celebrates with her teammates before returning to her position on the court.

“I love the thrill you get when you hit the ball and the crowd is cheering,” McNally says.

McNally already has had her fair share of thrilling moments so far this season. McNally leads the team in kills with close to 200. She also has 82 digs, 30 aces and 15 blocks.

McNally, who played varsity for Cardinal Mooney last season as a freshman, has been instrumental in helping lead the Lady Cougars to a 16-5 record, including a perfect 8-0 mark in Class 3A-District 10. As a result, Cardinal Mooney earned the No. 1 seed in the district tournament, which begins Oct. 20, at Bradenton Christian.

“Maddie was a big part of our team last year, and with an extra year of maturity under her belt, she’s really become a leader,” coach Kristen Batt Rohr says. “She’s grown a lot all around, from her skill set to her mental play. She brings a lot of energy to the court.”

McNally, who began playing volleyball in the fourth grade after hearing stories from her mother, Melissa, a former All-American at the University of Tampa, credits her success this season in large part to her teammates as well as her experience playing for the Coastline Volleyball Club’s U15 Black Rox team.
McNally has competed in the USA Volleyball Girls Junior Nationals each of the past two years — an experience that has allowed her to compete against some of the top players in the nation, players whom she wouldn’t normally play against.

“Because volleyball is year-round, it helps you learn more skills when you compete and travel,” McNally says.

Earlier this season, McNally helped lead Cardinal Mooney to a third-place finish at the eight-team Calvary Christian tournament. The Lady Cougars defeated Tampa Catholic, Tampa Mitchell and Clearwater High to win their pool before falling to Tampa Springs East Lake.

As one of the smaller schools in the tournament, McNally and her teammates weren’t sure if they would be able to compete with the larger schools. But under the guidance and enouragement of their coach, the Lady Cougars advanced to the consolation final.

“In that tournament, we played the best we’ve ever played,” McNally says. “We all wanted to win it, so that gave us a reason to fight so hard.”

The experience was particularly memorable for McNally who was named to the All-Tournament team; she finished with 37 kills, 12 blocks, 16 digs and four aces in five matches.

“It’s really cool to have other coaches look at you and (reward) you for playing well,” McNally says.

“Sometimes you can get intimidated with people’s height, but I’m not that intimidated. If you know how to play volleyball, then you don’t care who you’re going up against.”

McNally and the Lady Cougars will close out the regular season Oct. 16 at Sarasota before competing in the district semifinals next week. Cardinal Mooney finished as the district runner-up last season, falling to rival ODA in the district championship.

“I think we have a ton of talent on this team, and (coach) Kristen (Batt Rohr) has really put it to use,” McNally says. “We’ve been able to beat teams that you would never think a small school could beat.”

BY THE NUMBERS
4 — The grade McNally was in when she first started playing volleyball.

200 — The approximate number of kills McNally has so far this season.

0 — The number of district games McNally and her teammates lost this season.

2 — The number of years McNally has been on Cardinal Mooney’s varsity squad.

30 — The number of aces McNally has tallied this season.

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].