Cassidy Cage was always tall. The Marist junior volleyball player is 6-foot-2 now, and only ever knew being able to see over the crowd.
“I’ve always been the tallest but I hit a really big growth spurt during quarantine. That’s where I hit 6-foot,” she said. “I just grew a couple inches after that.”
Cage wasn’t pushed into volleyball because she’s tall, though. In fact, softball was her first serious sport. At some point, though, she developed more passion for the court than the diamond and it became clear there was a future in volleyball.
sectional title since 2020. (Provided photo)
It’s easy to see that now. Cage is a major contributor to a RedHawks team positioned to play for a sectional title Nov. 7. She was named to the all East Suburban Catholic Conference team as a middle blocker.
“I’ve grown a lot as a player this year, just being able to read the court better and hit more shots,” Cage said. “Just being able to trust my teammates, getting up to hit and block, I think I’ve improved a lot this season.”
She goes to school and plays in Mount Greenwood, but Cage is a Homewood kid. She went to Willow and Churchill Elementary Schools and James Hart Middle School before heading north to Marist for high school.
The Redhawks are glad she decided to go to private school.
Her play, both in club and high school, drew plenty of interest from college scouts. In August, Cage committed to Mississippi State over offers from Arizona and Marquette. She said the Starkville campus and Bulldogs coaches won her over during her visit.
She’s considering majoring in marketing or forensic science.
“Just being able to play in the SEC was a big dream of mine since I was little,” she said. “There was just something about Mississippi state, the overall love I had for it and how welcoming everybody was even just around the town. That really confirmed my decision.”
For now, Cage is part of a Marist team that won its last 10 matches, including the postseason. It hasn’t lost a set during that stretch.
The RedHawks (27-9) play Mother McAuley in the sectional final Nov. 7. The Mighty Macs (33-4) are a traditional powerhouse with more state titles than any other program in Illinois.
Cage said Marist’s trip to Las Vegas for the Durango Fall Classic in September prepared it for teams like McAuley. The RedHawks played teams from Hawaii, California, Florida and Arizona during the event.
“I just think we have this mental connection that a lot of other teams don’t,” Cage said. “Being able to hang out with each other and compare ourselves to the top teams in the nation, it was really nice. I think that really established what we needed to work on and what we did good. Once we came back, it was really up from there.”
Marist played McAuley twice during the regular season, most recently on Oct. 5. The Mighty Macs won 2-0 both times but Marist forced tiebreakers in both sets on Sept. 26. The Macs took that one 26-24, 26-24.
The RedHawks won their 10th straight regional championship this season, but it hasn’t won a sectional since 2020.
“After that tough loss (to McAuley), it really lit a fire under us,” Cage said. “(A sectional title) would mean everything to us. It would mean so much to get over that hump.”
