Over the weekend, Bearcats senior outside hitter Maria Mallon joined the 1000 kill club with the final kill of the match to seal the Bearcats victory over the SMU Mustangs. Mallon now becomes the latest player to join the ultimate 1000 kill club since Jordan Thompson did so in 2018.
Mallon, a decorated outside has been a huge part of success for the Bearcats since stepping onto campus in 2018. During her freshman year she made an immediate impact for the Bearcats as she finished second on the team in kills, where she averaged 2.37 kills per set, tallying 280 kills in 118 sets played. Mallon also recorded 1.81 digs per set, as well as 46 service aces and 27 assists. She was third on the team in aces with 22, which helped earn First Team All-AAC honors her freshman season. Mallon also was a member of the All-AAC Academic team her freshman year.
During her sophomore year in 2019, she played a huge role in helping the team reach their first ever Sweet 16 in program history, including recording the game winning kill to upset 6th ranked Pittsburgh to advance to the Sweet 16. Before the season I got the chance to sit down with her former teammate from 2019, and now Olympic gold medalist Jordan Thompson before the 2021 Olympics and we mentioned the historic 2019 NCAA tournament run.
Here is how Thompson remembered the final play of that big win over #6 Pittsburgh in the NCAA Tournament , as Thompson was the one who set up Maria Mallon for the final kill to pull off the upset.
” I just remember that last point, setting Maria Mallon backrow, I was so Nervous, I was like please just get a kill. Maria did that and she got the kill, I will never forget that moment, its just burned into my mind in the best way possible. Just being able to celebrate with the team in the locker room after that was so special, to have the coaches come in, and we are all just jumping around. super excited. That is something I will never forget. “
