Girls volleyball: St. Viator's Mueller makes most of four sports, four years

Senior Michaela Mueller has followed in her sisters' footsteps as a volleyball player.

And anyone who follows high school sports, knows Mueller's footwork has made her one of the most special athletes to come through St. Viator High School.

She adeptly uses her feet to get under a pass in the fall, to slide over and defend a player driving to the basket in the winter and to boot home a goal on the soccer pitch in the spring.

Not exactly a common scene in these days of specialization in high school sports where athletes tend to play just one sport, or maybe two.

“For Michaela to essentially be starting on varsity teams for three years in three major sports is a huge accomplishment with girls specializing so much in sports,” said St. Viator veteran volleyball coach Charlie Curtin. “It is very rare to see someone who can start, be a top competitor and a leader in three different sports.”

Mueller would have it no other way.

“I don't feel like myself if I'm not playing sports at any time during the school year,” said Mueller, whose sisters Marrisa (volleyball, cross country, track) and Megan (volleyball, soccer) were also multiple-sport athletes.

But Michaela will be the first in the family to have played every season in four years of high school.

And she's been an integral part of each team's success which has seen her win two regionals in each of her three sports, advancing to sectional finals twice.

“Winning my first regional in this gym for volleyball two years ago as a sophomore was the first really big thing I was a part of,” she said. “I really want to go far, like downstate in one of the sports. That's always been a goal.”

Her No. 1 goal after graduating next spring will be focusing on her education.

She does not plan to play competitive sports in college.

“I think she could easily play at least D-III somewhere in any of three sports but she wants to focus on her education,” Curtin said. “She goes 365 days a year, and on top of that she is on student council, Link Crew and Ambassador's Club. She also does a lot of volunteering and she holds a part-time job.”

A graduate of Our Lady of Wayside in Arlington Heights where she also ran track and field, Mueller grew up in sports, watching her sister's athletic events.

Her name is an extension of her father's name Michael, who played basketball and football at Notre Dame High School in Niles. He has always been Michaela's mentor in sports.

“My dad was my sister's coach in volleyball at Wayside and he coached me for basketball,” Michaela said. “He was also my soccer coach when I was little. He has always been there to tell me little things after a match or game. He'll ask me questions and always give me advice. Just the other day he took me outside and was giving me tips on things.”

Michaela's mother Nancy, a Good Council High School alumnus, provided a career-choice tip.

“My mom gave me the idea that I should go into occupational therapy,” Michaela said. “I've always worked with a trainer and have been close to sports and I'm a people person. I like assisting others.”

That goes for the volleyball court, too, where she leads the Lions in assists with her setting that made her an all-area choice last fall for the second straight season.

The four-year varsity player had more than 550 assists and was second on the team with more than 230 digs along with 44 aces and 28 kills.

“Michaela's athletic ability and drive make her a successful setter,” Curtin said. “She is able to run down 99 percent of passes no matter where they are and make them hittable balls. Her work ethic year round garners respect from her teammates and coaches who allow her to successfully run our offense.

“Michaela's understanding of the game and the flow of the game helps her make the best decision as to where the set should go based on our current situation.”

“I don't have a favorite sport,” she says. “It's just the one I'm playing at the time because I'm focused on that one.”

She is also focused in the classroom where her favorite subject is math.

“I really it like because you're either right or wrong,” she said. “There is no in between.”

And there is no in-between season for Mueller.

“Michaela is just an extremely competitive athlete, a leader both on and off the court and she holds her teammates to a very high standard,” Curtin said. “She is a pleasure to be around. She's a great kid away from the court as well.

“She's someone I would trust baby-sit my kids. Someone I trust on and off the court. She just keeps the team together. She is competitive, she hates losing and is willing to do anything to be successful.”

Mueller credits her coaches for a lot of her success.

“All my coaches here at St. Viator spend time with me,” she said. “If you need help before or after practice, I feel like I can go to all of them and they will be there for me. I've learned a lot of things like team work, hard work and just never giving up.”