SPORTS
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The Daily Aztec
3
VOLLEYBALL
McMillan’s long journey leads her to SDSU B E AU B E A R D E N S E N I O R S TA F F W R I T E R
Many miles north of San Diego, across the U.S. border in Canada is where Caitlin McMillan’s story begins. In her hometown of Coquitlam, British Columbia, McMillan found her passion for volleyball. She started in fifth grade and each year played on club teams with girls who were one-to-two years older. But it was uncertain if volleyball would be there after high school. “Not a lot of people go away to college back in Canada,” the senior outside hitter said. “Because there are not full scholarships.” Eventually she learned they actually were offered. “I think when I hit high school was when I found out,” McMillan said. “And then when I found out it was available, it became a dream to go play somewhere else really competitive and get away from home for a while.”
McMillan didn’t waste any time making an impact at Pinetree Secondary School. In her freshman year for the Timberwolves, she received an award for being the best offensive player and in the following year, she received one for being the best defensive player. She would also be selected as the libero for the Canadian national youth team when she was 16 years old. For three weeks, McMillan and her teammates did “intense volleyball-only training” two or three times a day. The team didn’t get a chance to compete that year, but she still took something away from it. “It was a really cool experience,” McMillan said. “It was really cool to go up there and get a Team Canada jersey and represent a country in something.” In her senior year at Pinetree, McMillan added to her list of awards when she was selected as the Female Athlete of the Year and Most Valuable Player for the Timberwolves. After a successful career at Pinetree, she decided to join the
AT A GLANCE WHEN: 7 p.m., tonight WHERE: Peterson Gym
VS.
WHY TO WATCH: SDSU will battle Mountain West Conference co-leader Colorado State in the first of a three-match home stand.
Glenn Connelly / Photo Editor
San Diego State senior outside hitter Caitlin McMillan traveled all the way from Canada to make an impact with the Aztecs.
San Diego State volleyball team. There were other schools that offered her a scholarship, but there was something about SDSU that made it different. “I think coming down here just felt good,” McMillan said. “It felt right. I wasn’t too comfortable with leaving home, so it was important where I was that I felt comfortable.” McMillan played in half of the Aztecs’ matches as a true freshman, but it was in her sophomore year when she made the biggest impact for SDSU.
Against TCU on Oct. 13, 2007, former teammate Stephanie Darnall broke her leg and McMillan came in off the bench to replace her. While the Aztecs may not have defeated the Horned Frogs in that contest, McMillan notched her first doubledouble of her SDSU career with 10 kills and 15 digs and also set new career highs in both categories. “I think it was a bit of a wake-up call,” McMillan said. “At the beginning of the year, I had a different role on the team and then as soon as that happened, I had to com-
pletely change my mentality and step into a bigger role.” The Aztecs will need everyone on the team to step up tonight against Colorado State. The Rams come to Peterson Gym as the coleader of the Mountain West Conference and haven’t lost since Sept. 9, when Duke defeated them. “It’s more about us playing our game,” head coach Deitre CollinsParker said. “We’ll continue to work on the things that we’ve always worked on.”
Make your move... to
The Daily Aztec!
w w w . T h e D a i l y A z t e c . c o m Display & Online 619-594-6977 • Classifieds 619-594-4199