McGhee, the River Valley Democrat-Gazette Volleyball Offensive Player of the Year, tried several sports and activities before she found her passion. The Van Buren volleyball program is very glad she did, as McGhee departs as the all-time kills leader leaving behind a lasting legacy.
"I used to be a basketball player, but that didn't work out very well," McGhee said. "Every time I scored, it was on the wrong goal. I tried softball but then got hit in the face. That didn't work out. I had a gymnastics lesson, but I was too tall. Volleyball really was for me. I use it as an escape if I have anything going on. It's just soothing and I get to be around people that are like me."
McGhee entered her senior season already as Van Buren's all-time kills leader and only added to it with a strong final campaign. She had 315 kills, 323 digs and 20 aces doing it all for the Lady Pointers in a season to remember.
Van Buren achieved a school-record 10-game winning streak, made it to the semifinals of the Class 5A state tournament -- winning a pair of five-set matches that were seeding upsets -- and won the prestigious Fort Smith Invitational Tournament for the first time in program history.
"I really wanted to take my last year and make the most of it and save every single moment," McGhee said. "It was really worth it. Playing for Van Buren meant a lot to me because I got an early start in my career as a freshman. I really wanted to make history here."
While McGhee is known as an outstanding offensive player, it's a disservice to call her just that. In addition to finishing as Van Buren's all-time kills leader with 1,368 and being in the top eight all-time in the state, she finished third all-time in digs (1,034) and aces (109) in Van Buren history making a big impact as a six-rotation player not coming off the court often.
"Achieving that all was great," McGhee said. "It definitely wasn't easy. It took a lot to get to where I was. A lot of conditioning and a lot of lessons. I got to play up as a freshman, so it was a big experience coming in as a 14- and 15-year-old playing against adults. Since I did play travel ball, it was easier to catch up to the speed and the flow.
Being on the other side of facing McGhee in her career, first-year Van Buren Coach Whitney Adams was glad to finally be on the same side as McGhee.
"She is very impressive," Adams said. "I had never coached her before and was more familiar with her in the club space. I've always coached around her and was on the opposite side of her a lot last year. It was fun to be on the opposite side of that this year. She's one of those players as an opposing coach that is hard to prepare against her because she is so versatile. It was fun to have her on our side. She leaves a big impact on the Van B... Click here to read full article
ARTICLE SOURCE:
