Abby McKeone ’21 walked into seventh grade four years ago looking simply for something to do, and volleyball has been there for her ever since.

McKeone has been impacted greatly by this sport as well as her teammates, just as she impacts her team and how her team has made a difference in this sport for her. Before she settled on her dedication to volleyball, she went through trial and error of trying out different sports, and as her interests came and went she learned a lot from each sport’s different experiences.

One sport from her past she tried was basketball. “I thought I was going to be a baller, but then I got to seventh grade and I hated it,” McKeone said. However with volleyball she’s made a lot of great friends and it has been rewarding for her. “I’ve gained a lot of leadership skills and communication skills, made a lot of new friends,” McKeone said. One of McKeone’s teammates and friends she has made, Emma Dunlap ’22 enjoys playing among her on the team. “She gets pumped up and celebrates our victories in fun and entertaining ways. She often is the first to give me a high five after a well done play and I can hear her across the court vocally encouraging us.” Dunlap said.

As great as volleyball is, every athlete still has it struggles, McKeone practices for about two hours each day, then throughout the week an hour of lifting, then games last for about an hour. Mentally there are some difficulties as well. “You just got to push through it, and don’t let the bad emotions get to you, because they can really impact your career,” McKeone said. Volleyball is an extremely big commitment of time and life itself, but her team manages it all.

McKeone doesn’t know what is yet to come for her athletic life as she goes through high school, but she does hope to work in a science or medical field in her future.