Dora the explorer: Cihocki, a three-sport athlete, enjoys being on the go for Evergreen Park. ‘There is always something.’ Plus, girls volleyball notes.

Evergreen Park senior Dora Cihocki plays volleyball, basketball and softball.

During the summer, she does all three.

A typical week?

“Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I’d have a softball tournament,” Cihocki said. “Then I would have a basketball tournament Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. And then I’d have volleyball in the morning Monday through Thursday.

“There is always something. Finding free time is very rare.”

As busy as the schedule is, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Yeah, I just love doing it,” Cihocki said. “I’ve been playing all three sports since I was in first grade. I just love being in a gym or on a field.

“It’s crazy, but I’ve learned to manage my schedule and be everywhere as much as possible.”

For now, she’s doing double duty.

On Sept. 20, Cihocki was the star of the show as the Mustangs beat Oak Lawn 24-26, 25-20, 27-25 in a classic South Suburban Red match.

The 6-foot-1 middle hitter came up clutch late in the third game. With the Mustangs trailing 24-23 and facing match point, she put down a kill to tie it. She added another kill and a block to help Oak Lawn win it.

On Sunday, the first baseman/catcher played in three games for her Evergreen Park Eclipse travel softball team.

Casey O’Toole, the Mustangs’ girls volleyball coach, loves her versatility and finds positives in sharing.

“At Evergreen, we have a ton of three-sport athletes,” O’Toole said. “They are committed to each season, and we try to balance among all of it.

“Dora has really been key for us. She has figured out her timing in putting a ball away. The basketball training has definitely helped in some of her volleyball, as far as running a slide just like a layup.”

Cihocki and teammate Maggie Tracy are running neck and neck for team leadership in kills. Cihocki’s added bonus, though, comes with her blocking.

“Dora is our first defender at the net,” O’Toole said. “She sets a huge block for us. We constantly work to get a pass up so we can feed Dora the ball.

“When she gets fired up and gets excited, everybody feeds off her energy. When she puts a hard ball away, everybody gets pumped up.”

Crowd-pleaser: One of the unsung heroes for Marist in Thursday’s stunning 25-22, 25-19 victory over Mother McAuley was libero Elayna Davidson.

The previously unbeaten Mighty Macs came out swinging, but the 5-5 freshman made an immediate impact. Her three impressive digs helped the RedHawks get off to a quick 7-3 lead in front of a screaming capacity crowd.

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“Yep, I was ready,” Davidson said, smiling. “I knew that they would come out strong, so I told myself that I have to just get in there, get the ball up and keep our team rolling.

“I loved the atmosphere. It was amazing. This team is just so supportive of each other and everyone just gives 100% effort every day.”

Davidson finished the match with 16 digs. She also had 18 digs on Sept. 20 in a 25-21, 19-25, 25-10 East Suburban Catholic Conference victory over Joliet Catholic.

Two weeks ago, Marist coach Jordan Vidovic moved Davidson to libero from defensive specialist. She’s the youngest of four sisters to play for Marist.

“Elayna soaked up quite a bit as a youngster,” Vidovic said. “She’s using that confidence now playing at this level. She has already made a huge impact defensively for us against top teams with big hitters.”

Did you know? Lincoln-Way East senior outside hitters Jada James and Ava Nepkin won’t play together in college, but they will certainly be able to visit each other often.

James has committed to play at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and Nepkin at Loyola Maryland. The two schools are just 21.1 miles apart.