Makayla Cain '18 Recruiting Profile

My name is Makayla Cain and I am actively pursuing an opportunity to further my education while remaining dedicated to my first love, the sport of volleyball. My love for this sports is founded in my competitive nature to challenge and be challenged, in all things. It is rooted in the satisfaction that emanates from accomplishing goals or milestones along the way, through hard work, will and determination. But mostly, this sport, more than any other sport I've played competitively, values the selfless acts that are required to build successful teams and as a result, forms personal relationships, with others, that make the journey more enjoyable than the destination.

I have been involved in athletics since the 4th grade and I began playing volleyball in the 5th. As the middle child of 3, all sisters, I originally fostered my competitive spirit in pursuit of becoming better than my older sister, both academically (she was valedictorian in high school) and athletically (she was a 3 sport starter in softball, basketball and volleyball). I soon realized that through hard work, dedication and repetition, I was able to improve quickly and achieve a good measure of success. I became the starting pitcher on our varsity softball team as an 8th grader, All district as a defensive player in Varsity volleyball as an 7th grader and a member of a basketball team that made it to the state "All A" Final 4 as a 9th grader.

Following my 8th grade season, I was urged by several people  in the school's athletic department to think about whether I had a desire to pursue athletics at the next level. I had already played some travel softball but they were also asking about AAU basketball or Club Volleyball. I always enjoyed Volleyball the most, so I chose Club Volleyball. Moving into my 10th grade season I decided to drop basketball and softball and focus my attention to academics and volleyball.

On the personal front, I have been raised in a Christian home and hold, what some may call, "old fashion values" for family and faith. Perhaps one small difference in conventional assumptions is that my Dad grew up in an inner city and he and my mother have worked hard to make sure all of us are completely accepting of others. We have been taught to extend love and kindness to everyone regardless of differences without judgement. As an extension of these lessons, I have been active in the community through supporting New Hope Church food pantry and also work at their monthly Dinner that serves hot meals to the homeless in Covington, KY. I support other events as part of "Crush Cares" outreach program through my Club team and I have enjoyed helping others, less fortunate than I.

With my Senior year set to begin, I have just started to get serious about finding a way to continue competing at the highest level possible in my chosen sport. My family has no real experience with the recruiting process for athletics and, although I have known for some time that I wanted to play at the next level, we never actively sought advice. We incorrectly assumed that if I worked hard, my play would present opportunities to pursue my passion while continuing my education. For this reason, I now realize we are little late in the recruiting process.

I am undecided on a major at this point and I am willing to give serious consideration to any institute that may have the need for a hard working Student Athlete to be a part of their school and their team. I simply want the appropriate opportunity to continue my education while working to become a better version of myself, academically  and athletically.