July 3, 2017
With the hustle and bustle of prepping for the MBA program in the fall, her last volleyball season as a Tiger and planning for her wedding, rising senior Macy Reece took the time to sit down and to catch up with AuburnTigers.com.
Q: What has it been like to grow with your class from freshmen year to senior year?
A: It's been fun to watch each other grow and develop into collegiate level athletes throughout the years. We came in with a lot of potential and talent. Now looking back, it's almost crazy to think that we're seniors. And honestly, we are just hoping to be good role models for the freshmen coming in.
Q: What is it like knowing that there is a big freshmen class coming in?
A: It's really cool. The team is excited to see what they can bring to the table. We've had a few injuries and it's going to be good to have relief. It's also really nice to have these girls come in for the second half of summer so that they can get used to campus, get in the groove with how school works and get a feel for the court. It's also really good that they're coming in the second half so that we can kind of show them how the team works and get them used to how things work.
Q: What are the team's goals for this year?
A: Our goal is to win the SEC and obviously to get in the NCAA tournament. It's something that we are working hard for this year. We are hoping to build off of what we accomplished in the spring and use that to our advantage coming up here in the fall. Knowing that season is coming up, we've been getting stronger and pushing each other harder than we ever have before. It's been refreshing to see the hard work and we want the freshmen to see the same thing as well as understand what it's like and what needs to be done if we want to achieve that goal. We also want to set the expectations, not only for the freshmen but for everyone else as well, high so to remind ourselves what it takes to get to the level that we need in order to get what we want.
Q: What is the challenge of having a bunch of new people on the team?
A: I'd say the biggest challenge that we face is team chemistry. It is a different team than last year. There are so many new faces and each one of them have a different personality. It'll be a challenge learning how everyone works and what works with everyone. It's great that we have everyone here, working at open gyms, lifting so we can find that "groove" with each other and work on chemistry.
Q: What kind of discipline did it take to graduate with a four-year degree in three years?
A: There was a lot discipline that went into those three years. One thing that I learned was that you have make use of every single resource that is given to you as a student-athlete from SADC, to tutors, to the academic counselors. You have to take advantage of that so if you're struggling, they have even more resources to help you. It's very important, also, to stay on top of things. When you're a student-athlete you have a busy schedule and the time demands can be challenging to keep up with. You have to be able to set goals as well as know what they are and stay on top of things. Another thing is you need to learn a study technique early on in your college career. Honestly, I wish I could go back, redo my freshman year and my study techniques back then. It was definitely difficult to manage, but I took complete use of being here in the summer. I took most of my harder classes in the summer so that in season, it wasn't as difficult for me. I had to block off time for my studying, as well, and make it as important to me as practice was, and in the end, that was what helped me.
Q: What has it been like trying to balance the excitement of wedding planning with all your other responsibilities here?
A: We got engaged at the beginning of June! Since being engaged, we have tried to get things done ahead of time that need to be done because we both know that we are both going to be super busy in a little bit and we don't really want the added stress of planning for a wedding. It's been fun and we're really just trying to enjoy the time that we have with each other. We're taking everything day-by-day and see where things go. My fiancÃÆ'Æ'© is such a huge help. He helps me take a step back and realize that in the grand scheme of things it's not that big of a deal and at the end of the big day everything will turn out the way I want it plus I'll be married to my best friend.
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