McKenzie Smith played three sports for Maumelle High School but when it came down to selecting her favorite, it was all about volleyball.
Not only did Smith play middle blocker for the Lady Hornets, but she also played club volleyball and beach volleyball. This fall, Smith will be a walk-on for the Drake University Bulldogs volleyball team in Des Moines, Iowa.
“Volleyball was definitely my favorite,” Smith said. “Track was my second favorite and I played basketball to keep me in shape.”
Smith has already formed a bond with her new teammates. Last month, Drake’s volleyball team spent eight days in Costa Rica getting to know each other.
“We went surfing, which was really hard,” Smith said. “We did some hiking, saw a volcano, went to a waterfall, which was really cold. I didn’t go to far into the water. We also did some zip lining and horseback riding.”
The Bulldogs also found time to play a few volleyball matches, beating the Costa Rica National Team and several club teams.
“We were undefeated,” Smith said.
Smith said her college choice came down to Drake and SMU.
“I wanted to find the best business school,” said Smith, who plans to major in accounting. “I wanted to go to a school that I could also get a masters’ degree after I obtained my undergraduate degree. What made the difference was that Drake offered me a chance to play volleyball. When that happened, it became my dream school.”
Math has always been Smith’s favorite class and she became interested in accounting when her mother’s best friend got her interested in it. Smith said accounting has been her life’s goal.
Smith also gained some notoriety on the Lady Hornets’ track team. She won the shot put at the 5A-West Conference meet with a throw of 34-8. Her season’s best performance was a throw of 35-8 1/4.
But volleyball is her favorite sport and she intends to make improvements in her game.
“I was a good player in our conference, but I got on the floor with some of those girls at Drake and it was a different story,” Smith said. “They are on a whole different level. But the coaches said I have potential, so they must have seen something.”
McKENZIE SMITH
HIGH SCHOOL Maumelle
SPORTS Volleyball, basketball, track and field
COLLEGE Drake
DATE OF BIRTH June 29, 2000
NOTEWORTHY Daughter of Felecia Smith. … scored a 30 on the ACT and held a 4.12 grade point average. … Plans to major in accounting. … Member of the Beta Club, the Honor Society and the student council … Won the 5A-West Conference shot put with a throw of 34-8.