Q&A with McKenzie Adams

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Freshman McKenzie Adams missed the first portion of the volleyball season with an ankle injury, but has since made her way into the starting lineup and has made an immediate impact. Recording double-digit kills on four occasions, Adams registered her first collegiate double-double last weekend at Miami, landing 10 kills to go with 14 digs.

This weekend, Virginia will host Georgia Tech and Clemson in Memorial Gymnasium. The Cavaliers will face the Yellow Jackets on Friday at 7 p.m., before facing the Tigers on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Question: When and why did you start playing volleyball?
Adams: I was about 10 years old when my parents decided to put me into volleyball. The whole reason that I got into it was because they made me get out of baseball and they gave me the choice to either play softball or volleyball. I decided not to play either, but when I became bored at home, they made the choice to put me into volleyball.

Question: Did you play any other sports?
Adams: I played basketball from my freshman to junior year of high school.

Question: How or why did you decide that you wanted to play volleyball in college?
Adams: During basketball, I had a lot of injuries so I wasn’t getting looked at as much as I was in volleyball, so I had to make a choice on what I wanted to pursue more in college and what kind of school I wanted to go to.

Question: Coming from Texas, what made you decide to come to Virginia?
Adams: I loved everything about Virginia. The academics are amazing, the coaching staff and the team were so welcoming and made me feel like I was already apart of the team when I was visiting and the campus is just beautiful.

Question: You missed a couple of games at the beginning of the season due to an injury. What did you hurt?
Adams: I had a level three ankle sprain.

Question: How does it feel to be on the court competing now?
Adams: It’s amazing. I have been looking forward to playing at the college level for a very long time now and it’s amazing finally being able to go out and do it.

Question: How hard was it to miss the beginning of the season? Do you feel that it put you behind at all, or were you able to learn something by watching?
Adams: It was really hard at first because you are just coming into something new and trying to prove to the coaches that you should be out on the court playing. I did my best to always be paying attention and watching to try to keep up, but there are so many things you have to learn its hard not to fall behind. You just have to keep asking questions and for me, my teammates helped out a lot in getting me back into things.

Question: You’ve played a little bit on the right side and on the outside this year. How difficult is it to switch back and forth?
Adams: It’s definitely a challenge, but you have to do whatever the coaches ask of you if you want to play. For me, I want to be that player that is able to go wherever the coaches need me, so I just pay close attention and work hard at it.

Question: Do you prefer one position over the other? Or what are some of the differences/benefits of each position?
Adams: I played left side for my club team, so it is definitely a position I am most comfortable with, but each position offers different things. The left side gives you more chances to swing and the middle and right side gives you more chances to block. and the back row gives you the opportunity to make digs, but all these are opportunities to make a play to help the team.

Question: Where are you most excited about traveling to for matches?
Adams: I would probably say North Carolina, I have some really close friends that live up there and so I am looking forward to hopefully seeing them.