Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
Support the IDS in College Media Madness! Donate here March 24 - April 8.
Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

sports

IU soccer player used to play high school volleyball

Matt McKain

Most students in their senior year of high school are preoccupied with completing college applications, worrying about scholarships, the last football game and who to ask to prom.

But learning an entirely new sport?

While IU sophomore defender Matt McKain’s parents enrolled him in nearly every sport available, he chose to focus on soccer, which he began playing at age five. He
played for his high school team at Columbus North High School.

But amidst the craziness of his senior year  and after persuasion from some of his soccer teammates, McKain decided to take on a new sport: volleyball.

The program, run by Coach Shannon Burch, was in its fourth year and had about 20 players, all of whom were seniors.

But to Burch, McKain stood out.

“He was always above the curve,” Burch said. “He was easily one of my top
athletes for that season, and even just as a raw athlete who hadn’t played this sport before. He excelled from day one.”

It’s a little-known fact to most outsiders, but volleyball players are allowed to use not only their hands and arms, but also their feet .

Burch said in the past, other soccer players had tried using their feet in returning volleys or for passing, but most attempts had been erratic and unsuccessful.
McKain started with an advantage and built on it.

“Most guys had tried out kicking it, but Matt really caught on quick,” Burch said. “He had great ball control and was able to track the ball and position himself better than
most.”

IU redshirt freshman midfielder  Dylan Lax , who met McKain in club soccer  when McKain was six, played on McKain’s high school soccer team.

Although Lax didn’t have time to play volleyball with his long-time friend as he wished, he still attended several of the games and said McKain looked like a perfect fit.

“His competitiveness really stood out, whether he was on the soccer field or the volleyball court," Lax said.  “He was always alert and ready to play, always
a leader no matter what team he was on. And he adapted really well to a new sport, similarly to how he adapted when he came (to IU) and learned a new position.”

With the help of McKaim, the Columbus North boy’s volleyball team put together a successful season. h ey qualii ed for the state tournament at the end of his McKain’s senior year.

But in the end, one thing slightly more important stood in their way.

“We had planned all year on signing up (for the state tournament) but when it got to that time, we realized that it was on the day of our graduation and, us all being seniors, we just couldn’t really make it work,” McKain said.

Coming to IU with opportunities to play intramural sports, including men’s volleyball, McKain said he’s always wished he could get involved with another league simply because he loved the competition.

But to him, his soccer team and soccer teammates always come first.

After one season coaching him , that’s what Burch noticed the most.

“He was a very wellconditioned athlete, but what was best was his mental attitude,” Burch said. “He knew when to be competitive, but he also knew when it was time
to be there for his teammates."

Get stories like this in your inbox
Subscribe