RECRUIT PROFILE: Gee-Gees women’s volleyball adds middle McKay

The Gee-Gees women's volleyball team has filled their need at middle blocker with Janae McKay committing to the University of Ottawa.

A product of the Pakmen Volleyball Club in Mississauga, Ont., McKay is the first recruit announced by the program for the 2021-22 campaign following an unconventional recruiting year.

"Because of COVID, I wasn't sure where I was going to go to school," said McKay, who was considering going south of the border. "With everything that happened, I did more research into Canadian schools and I liked uOttawa. I emailed them kind of late, but luckily they responded and we got in contact."

"We trust her club and we trust the coaching there," said Gee-Gees head coach Lionel Woods. "As soon as she reached out, I was reminded of her because we've seen her before. She was on our lists, we just hadn't seen her a lot recently. Once we got re-acquainted with her, we moved quickly."

McKay is the third player from the Pakmen Volleyball Club to become a Gee-Gee in recent years, joining captain Tristan Peterson and rookie Nicole Wernham.

The combination of speaking with former teammates and the appeal of the Telfer School of Management convinced McKay she would be at home in garnet and grey.

"I went to Ottawa a few years ago for a tournament," McKay explained. "I really liked the city, of course. I like the business program because I'm interested in becoming a CPA [Chartered Professional Accountant]. I did some research into the designation process and I liked how it looked."

With senior Milana Grahovac pursuing law school in Toronto next year, the program has a spot to fill at middle blocker. The coaching staff believes McKay is a strong fit on the court and in the locker room.

"She's mature in all senses of the word," said head assistant coach Kaly Soro. "She's very excited to develop and grow with the program, which is going to be beneficial to our team because we are so young. She's the athlete that we want and personality-wise, I think she'll flourish."

"She has athleticism and explosiveness," said Woods, who is entering his 29^th season at the helm of the program. "This isn't a criticism, it's actually a benefit – we believe she has more volleyball potential ahead of her than where she's at right now. She's going to be even better in the second half of her career and that's what we're excited about."

Being recruited during a pandemic was a unique experience for McKay, but she credits the Gee-Gees staff with making the process as straightforward as possible.

"We had a few phone calls and they sent me virtual tours and a little presentation about the school and the program," said the 5-11 Brampton, Ont., product. "It was helpful, especially because we were in lockdown and I couldn't go down and visit the city like I usually would."

McKay will have plenty of time to get acquainted with the campus and the city during her tenure with the Gee-Gees. Although she'll be at home for the summer, she'll be joining her teammates virtually for regular strength and conditioning sessions in preparation for the upcoming season.