Liz McMahon, Illini put foes in a pickle
Pickles are a good addition to hamburgers and hotdogs, and some sandwiches.
But who knew that pickles are also a good source of hydration for serious athletes?
Pickles are high in sodium and the theory is that by eating pickles and increasing sodium intake, athletes increase their thirst and ultimately drink more to rehydrate.
Players on the University of Illinois women’s volleyball team, which is 21-3 and ranked fifth in the country after having spent four weeks at No. 1 earlier in the season, have been known to put away their share of pickles between and after matches for that very reason.
And although that’s not what ultimately sold highly-touted freshman Liz McMahon on the Illini during the recruiting process, it sure did help.
Let’s just say McMahon is a big fan of pickles.
“I really, really love them,” McMahon told me this week with a laugh.
In fact, in 2008, McMahon won the title of Pickle Lover of the Year when her family submitted her name and story about her love of pickles to Del Monte and the Gedney Pickle Company during a contest the companies sponsored during National Pickle Week.
As a kid, McMahon was known to prefer pickles over candy bars — and she would polish off entire jars of pickles in one sitting.
Mom Janine would make sure to keep gallon jars of pickles stocked in the family refrigerator.
“I would eat pickles all the time,” McMahon said. “The (dill) spears are my favorite.”
McMahon, a 6-foot-6 outside hitter and blocker extraordinaire, happily noticed on her campus visit last year that the Illini used pickles in their training. But there was so much more that she noticed as she weighed a possible career at Illinois versus one at Penn State, which was her other top choice and just so happens to be the defending four-time NCAA national champion.
“I was tempted by Penn State, for sure. At one point, I thought I could see myself there,” said McMahon, who starred at Lakota West High School in a small town just outside of Cincinnati and could have gone to any college she wanted. “But I went with my gut. I loved Illinois. I loved the coaches and the players and I thought it would be really special to be a part of something that is growing.
“Being part of the process of getting to the top was really intriguing to me. This season has been so fun and I tell myself every day that I made the right decision.”
The Illini, who have made the Sweet 16 the last three years but are hoping to advance beyond that this season, certainly seem to be making significant strides in their climb to the top. And McMahon has played a big role.
She has been a starter since the beginning of the season and is among the team leaders in blocks and kills.
“I couldn’t have better teammates to help me (through the jitters of starting as a freshman),” McMahon said. “I’ve never felt like a freshman, just like a part of the team and they’ve all helped me with everything, on the court and off. They’ve helped me learn what to do in practice and in games. They’ve even taken me to my classes and shown me where things are on campus.
”I really feel like our chemistry and the fact that we all get along so well and have great relationships off the court is one of the biggest reasons we’ve had the kind of season we’ve had this year.”
Illinois is in the midst of an unusual rough patch, having lost three of its last four matches. All 3 losses were to nationally ranked Big Ten opponents: Nebraska, Minnesota and Purdue.
But McMahon is not worried.
“If anything, that just shows the strength of our conference,” McMahon said of the Big Ten. “There’s really nothing wrong with us right now. We’ve just refocused and I can already see us working harder in practice. I think we’ll be OK.
“We didn’t come into this season wanting to be undefeated anyway. We have other things we want to do, like go really far in the NCAA Tournament.”
Better get the pickles ready.
pbabcock@dailyherald.com