Connor Kuntz is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Moon Valley for AZPreps365.com

PHOENIX – It wasn’t always easy for senior outside hitter Enedina Virgil-Macey at Moon Valley. However, she constantly pushed herself throughout her time with the Rockets and is hoping to take her talents to the collegiate level.

Coming from a family that carried a baseball lineage, along with a mother who was a dancer, Virgil-Macey originally followed in her mother’s footsteps and took dance classes. Shortly after, though, she started playing volleyball at her local YMCA and preferred that over dance.

“I remember we were in the car one time and my mom was telling me to choose either dance or volleyball, and I hated dance,” Virgil-Macey said. “Ever since that decision, it's just kept going.”

While she continued to play volleyball at the YMCA, Virgil-Macey did not join a club team until eighth grade, when she became a member of Atomic Volleyball Club. Even though Virgil-Macey is obsessed with the sport currently, she did not have that mindset when she first started off at Atomic.

“I was kind of just there, like whatever happens so be it,” Virgil-Macey said. “I definitely did not think I was going to be as good as I am now and also as invested as I am currently.”

When Virgil-Macey first started out at Atomic and Moon Valley, she was a middle hitter due to her height. During her freshman season with the Rockets, Virgil-Macey struggled to get her feet wet in that middle hitter position and lacked the confidence she needed to have.

“My freshman year, I did not live up to the expectations that I set for myself,” she said with a laugh. “I’m pretty sure I had more blocks than kills. I felt terrible the entire year.”

After a recommendation from one of her assistant coaches, Virgil-Macey’s sophomore year saw her make the switch from middle hitter to outside hitter. Although there were growing pains, Virgil-Macey felt as if she finally found her calling.

It was during the summer before her junior year that Virgil-Macey made the switch from Atomic to AOT Elite, which is run by Michelle Monaghan, who is Virgil-Macey’s assistant coach at Moon Valley. She created a women’s team specifically for Virgil-Macey to play outside hitter and build her confidence even more.

“Ever since I switched clubs, outside is the only thing I’ve been doing and I feel I keep getting better and better,” Virgil-Macey said. “They keep pushing me to become the player they know I can be.”

One of the coaches that has seen this progression of Virgil-Macey is Moon Valley head coach Christy Wiley. Wiley has been her coach for all four years at Moon Valley and has seen the improvement year in and year out.

“She always had the talent to thrive and succeed,” Wiley said. “She just needed to find it in herself in order to bring out the best of her abilities.”

By the time her senior year rolled around, not only did Virgil-Macey grow as a player, she also turned into a remarkable leader. Someone that made everyone else around her better.

“Anytime that I feel down or I make a mistake, Enedina is the first one that tells me that it's all good,” Moon Valley senior Makala Brown said. “She is so fun to be around and to play with.”

After wrapping up her high school career with nearly 400 kills, Virgil-Macey now looks ahead to the collegiate level, where she is still going through the recruitment process in order to find her new home.

“I’m talking to a lot of coaches right now and I don’t know exactly where I am going but I am excited regardless,” Virgil-Macey said.

Beyond all the accolades and achievements that Virgil-Macey has accumulated throughout her volleyball career, it's the drive and passion for her craft that turned her into the player and human she is today.

“I didn’t think I was good enough ever and had doubts,” Virgil-Macey said. “However, it's all about how much effort you truly put into something and how much you want to keep going. That to me is the main thing I focus on.”