McKaylee Stephenson '25 Recruiting Profile

Hello, my name is McKaylee Stephenson. Volleyball has been in my life for a long time, but I became very interested and started practicing around age 8.  I began playing school volleyball in 5th grade and also started playing club volleyball when I was 13. My first club team was Wisconsin Blaze 14U, then I continued playing for Wisconsin Blaze 15 National, and I am currently starting my 16’s season at FC Elite, Appleton WI. 

I am very thankful for all the growth that happened during my freshman and sophomore year of High School Volleyball.  This past season I was a starting outside hitter on our varsity team after making a position switch from middle hitter to outside due to not growing beyond 5’7” and I am loving it! 

A few things I learned about myself not only during high school, but also during club these past seasons is the importance of growing my mental game and how much being a versatile player helps your team.  I learned there needs to be a balance between doing mental training as well as physical training.   By completing a mental training course and incorporating what I learned, I was able to process how much that I personally contribute to my team's connection.   I am now more aware that I can lead the energy not only on the court during games and practice but also on the bench and sidelines.   I also learned that playing multiple positions on both teams during High School and Club Ball made me open to new challenges and helped me really grow in learning new plays, rotations, defense and overall the importance of being as coachable by not only my coaches, but also my teammates in every situation. 

A unique characteristic I possess is being able to create fun, but grounding relationships with each of my teammates on and off of the court to help us mentally stay in "Game Mode" in challenging times.  Each of us need different things to help us stay focussed, but through mental training I have learned that a positive attitude is just as important to lead a team to victory as incredible skills are.

My academic goals in high school are to continue taking honors and AP classes and maintain a high GPA while participating in extracurriculars, clubs and working . This upcoming school year I am enrolled in the Start College Now program so I can complete many of my college generals while in High School the next 3 years.  My ultimate goal is to get most of my generals for college done while in High School so I am more prepared for Freshman year of college.

As for college, I plan to attend a 4-year college where I can balance my academics and volleyball with equal importance.  I am currently undecided on my major.

Thank you for taking the time to learn a little bit about me,