For freshman McKayla Barber, ETSU is the best choice academically and athletically. McKayla is the starting middle blocker on the volleyball team, she is from Columbus, Ind., and she chose to come to ETSU to play volleyball and earn a degree in exercise science and possibly pursue physical therapy.
“On my visit, I was highly impressed with the program they have available here for my study of interest,” McKayla said. It was a perfect fit for her intentions, she signed the papers and knew she would be heading to Johnson City.
So far McKayla has made the adjustment to college life and athletics well. “I do like ETSU so far. My hometown is similar to this size so I can definitely say this is my ‘home away from home.’ I only live six and a half hours away and my family used to come to Tennessee for vacations, so sometimes I just feel like I’m on vacation for a long time. The school itself is the right size for me, not too big of a school and not too small.”
Athletics is a huge part of this freshman’s everyday life.
Before college she played both basketball and volleyball at Columbus East High School. “In basketball, I did not earn a starting varsity position until my sophomore year. My team made a trip to state finals my junior year, and followed with a trip to semi-state my senior year. I was on the junior All-Star team my junior year, and finished my final season being named All-State,” she said.
While Barber excelled in basketball, her major triumphs were on the volleyball court. “I was a starting middle for varsity and held that position all four years. I had a tough coach so unfortunately, I was the only senior in my class to stick with the program.” A tough coach in high school probably prepared Barber for her collegiate coach, Lindsey Divine. “My high school coach is great, she taught me how to stay dedicated, focused, and how to become a better leader. I finished my senior year advancing to the regional championship, named first-team All-State, and also made the Indiana All-Star South team.”
Adjusting to college life and making friends came easy to Barber, “I love the team. Each player has their own personality and we never argue. It is so much fun everyday playing with a great group of girls with a similar goal in mind.” This young team has no seniors, two juniors, five sophomores and five freshmen from as close as Kingsport and as far as Saskatchewan, Canada. As any other sport the pace of the game is much faster at the collegiate level, but all of these younger players have taken that in stride. “The pace of the game is much faster at times and I do have moments where I feel like a ‘true freshman.’ However, I put in the effort at practice to help prepare me for the games so I’m not caught off guard.” Barber, along with fellow freshmen, Jamie Stancliff and Jen Neice, all earned themselves starting positions in the most recent matches. “Our team is about not making excuses and being young is the last excuse any of the girls and I would want to use,” Barber said.
When asked what her favorite volleyball moment was so far, Barber replied, “When we were at our first tournament of the season, we were down 17-24 against East Carolina and somehow our team just lit up and came back to win that set. I remember the energy and the fire we had at that moment. It was the greatest feeling to not stop playing, but even more so, to finish that set on top. Every single player on the court at that time had the same burning intensity and desire to win. It was an amazing moment for the team.

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