The leaves are turning, add-drop is over, and yet the first-year athletes at Macalester are still relatively unknown. I sat down with Grace Brickner ’20, from Riverdale, New York, to discuss her experience playing for Mac Volleyball.

Brickner told me that the season is going well, the team is good this year and everyone gets along. However, she said that sometimes the players (including herself) don’t play to their respective potentials. Brickner explained that there is a contagious energy on the team, and when that energy is low, the team performs poorly. Conversely, when the energy is up, the team plays very well. A versatile playmaker, Brickner plays right side and front row, and is also put in to serve. She has played volleyball since 7th grade, and she loves it. It gives her an “aggressive outlet,” which she said is sometimes difficult for her to find as a woman. Volleyball, especially at Macalester, has given Brickner much better time management skills, as she can’t afford to procrastinate. Should she skip sleep or meals, her grades and the team’s performance would be adversely affected. When not setting, bumping or spiking, Brickner enjoys watercolor and reading about mythology.