HERALD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: LOYOLA ACADEMY'S MIA McGRATH
A 5-foot, 11-inch outside hitter, Loyola Academy senior Mia McGrath helped power the Ramblers' sweep to the title of New Trier's Summer's End girls volleyball tournament over Labor Day weekend. Loyola came out of the tournament with a perfect 12-0 record on the season.
"Our program has been able to accomplish so much with her on the team, and she constantly pushes her teammates to play their best and compete at a high level," said Ramblers coach Mallory Thelander.
During Loyola's 5 unbeaten matches spanning Sept. 3-4, McGrath delivered 36 kills, 6 aces, made 43 digs and passed a 2.24 serve-receive average. Serving over those five matches, she scored 15 aces.
Loyola also won the Plainfield North Crimson Classic tournament in which McGrath was named most valuable player.
She's a two-time all-conference selection in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference. As a sophomore, she set the program record for kills with 261 and tied the record for service aces at 39
"Mia is one of the most humble and determined players I have ever coached," Thelander said. "She has a natural ability when it comes to volleyball, so much that she has been playing on varsity since her sophomore year. She is extremely well rounded and is a threat in both the front row and the back row."
Ranked by MaxPreps as the No. 1 player in Illinois, McGrath is committed to play at Clemson University.