Life as a student athlete can be stressful. Managing your time, getting your homework done and working hard at practice are struggles that senior volleyball captain MacKenzie McFarlin knows all too well.
McFarlin, an outside hitter, has been named HCAC Player of the week four times in her college career. Twice as a sophomore, and twice so far this year. She is also hoping her makes it back to the tournament this year.
Fans are hoping for another chance at the tournament, some of these fans include McFarlin’s biggest supporters, her mom and her two grandmothers.
“They come to almost all of the games,” she said.
The senior captain was named All-Tournament Team during this years Sommer Spike-tacular tournament. So far in her college career, she has had 249 kills. She is currently leading her team in attacks.
Although McFarlin has no specific plans for breaking school records, she says it would still be nice to come close. Her main focus is on her team and the energy they share together. Her goals for the season are focused around team work, keeping their record up, and making it back to tournaments.
As a dietetics major, McFarlin is immersed in one of Bluffton’s hardest academic programs. At the end of their senior year these students will face harsh competition for internships that are required before receiving any dietetics position.
While being in one of Bluffton’s toughest programs, McFarlin hasn’t seen it as making sacrifices, but rather as making it work.
“If you love the game then you’ll find a way to make everything work,” she says. “It really teaches you time management.”
McFarlin doesn’t believe she’s making sacrifices, she believes she is doing one of the things she loves with some of her closest friends.
As one of the volleyball captains, McFarlin helps lead the team. She said she hopes to set a good example for the underclassmen on the team. Her co-captains are senior Lauren Weisgarber and junior Sydney Mohler.
The next home volleyball game will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 19 against Manchester.
