Volleyball player Mackenzie Vernon defies the odds against freshman athletes by conquering a spot on UCA’s Sugar Bears volleyball starting lineup. 

Vernon, originally from San Antonio, went through years of her youth unaware of her athletic abilities until her eighth-grade year when her school’s volleyball coach saw potential in her stout and demanded that she join the team.

“I was a theatre kid; I liked to perform and be on stage,” Vernon said, “ I was never ‘the athlete.’”

Her natural-born skills did not take long to show themselves. A year after she started playing, she was awarded volleyball’s Freshman of the Year for her talent on the court.

Another quick turn-around occurred as not even a year after that, Vernon was scouted out. 

“I participated in some [volleyball] camps at UCA while in high school and while doing that I got to tour the campus and see what it was all about,” Vernon said. 

This is when she verbally committed to playing volleyball for UCA, the summer between her freshman and sophomore year of high school, to then officially becoming a Sugar Bear once she fully committed and signed her senior year.

The transition between high school volleyball and college volleyball was not the easiest, however.

“In college [sports], there is a certain way everything runs. The coaches strip you back down to the basics where you are then made to relearn techniques and instincts,” Vernon said. “Staying on top of that and traveling every weekend — it is really hard.” 

An even harder endeavor happened for Vernon when she was faced with the challenge to either show up and show out or let her team down completely. 

The first weekend of tournaments for the Sugar Bears was approaching when the team’s starting right-side hitter was exposed to COVID-19, causing them to be unable to attend the event.

“As a freshman, I got thrown into the deep end. There are only two girls in my position, [right-side hitter] so, with them being out, I had no choice but to step up and perform the role,” Vernon said.

Vernon was provided with an opportunity that she took full advantage of as her skills aligned perfectly with the momentum on the court.

“That weekend was one of my best weekends playing for UCA volleyball,” Vernon said.

That first weekend of tournaments was the start of an empowering season as she became a regular on the starting lineup. 

“It was nerve-racking, but after that tournament, my name stayed on the starting roster for the first half of the season,” Vernon said.

Her new starting position is not the only thing keeping her motivated, though.

“The dedication I have and all the hard work from prior years helps keep me on track,” Vernon said. “All of what has been and the chances of what I could be makes me want to better myself.”

The support from her teammates also plays a part in this. 

“Being with a team has its perks. Yes, we [athletes] get to register for classes early, but nothing beats the family mentality that goes along with being a part of a team,” Vernon said.

Vernon described how the sport of volleyball goes beyond the court as her peers are no longer teammates but a family who are there to get through all the highs and lows that college has to offer.

Mackenzie Vernon walked into her first year of UCA volleyball with a freshman mentality and faced the reality that hard work does pay off.