Makayla Lindburg
Sophomore
Outside Hitter
Prineville, Oregon
Do you have any pregame rituals or favorite song to warm up to?
I usually call my parents and my coaches before every game. My old high school coach will talk to me about visualization most of the time or she will tell me some pointers. My club coach will also tell me some things he thinks I can work on. Then I just talk to my grandma or my dad and they give me a little pump up speech. We have a playlist for the whole team. We don’t listen to music separately, but my favorite song on that playlist is probably “2 on” by Tinashe.
You had a very successful high school career with the Cowgirls. What made you choose UP?
It’s location, first of all, because my family was really big on being able to watch me play all my games. Also, academically this was the best choice. All of my coaches encouraged me to come here. I knew that if I came here, I could have a better chance of getting playing time my freshman year. I also really liked the teams in the conference.
What is your favorite memory from playing with the Pilots thus far?
We have a lot of really good memories during pregame in the locker rooms, a lot of really fun conversations. We are really good about getting each other loosened up before the games so we are not all tense or intimidated. (Sophomore) Dj (Djurdgina Milovic) is probably the funniest, one time I came in the locker room and all the lights were off and Dj, Mele (Moimoi) and (sophomore) Brit (Brittney Markwith) were all dancing in the locker room by themselves in the pitch black. It was hilarious.
You recently visited OHSU Children’s hospital with some of your teammates. What was that experience like?
That is something that the new coaches really brought forward. UP as a whole is really good about community service and reaching out and being a very involved campus, so going out and actually being able to do something outside the sport was one of the coolest things I have gotten to do so far. Being able to hang out with kids and represent the school in a different light, other than athletics, was just one of the best experiences, especially because all of us have little siblings that we are all missing. There were only three or four kids, there was one girl Dj was playing with that the nursing staff said they hadn’t seen smile during her entire hospital stay, she would just lie in bed, and while we were there she was smiling and laughing for hours. It was the cutest thing ever!
You mentioned your new coach brings this new aspect of community to the team. What is like playing with new coach, Brent Crouch? What are you excited about?
He is a great coach. I mean I love the old coaches too; they are the ones who brought me here so I will forever be grateful to them. This new coach has a different kind of system. It really focuses on the fundamentals and techniques and breaking down the techniques and doing everything correctly fundamentally. He has really been working on each touch and every play that we do breaking it down from square one to see what went wrong. It is all about a mindset so he is really working on making sure everyone is playing confidently but also mindfully so we are thinking about each play and what we are doing each time. It’s awesome.
What is your first memory of playing volleyball?
I have been playing volleyball since I was in the fourth grade. I used to be one of those girls who played with their hair down, I never wore a ponytail or anything. Besides that, my first memory was not being able to serve over the net. I was standing at the ten-foot line and I couldn’t even serve over the net and I was the tallest kid there. It was so embarrassing. I remember telling my mom I never wanted to go back and play volleyball.
What has been your biggest challenge playing with the Pilots?
I think our season as a whole was a challenge last year because our coach got pretty sick so it was hard to see that. It was nice to see him facing it and getting through that in such a strong way, but still hard to watch. To go with no wins your first college season was not something I came here to do. My mindset was that I really wanted to change the season my first year so every game just trying to talk my team and myself into a mindset of we are just getting better and to live each new experience. I think for our team to be able to bounce back from our season last year coming into this year with such a positive mindset, just coming into practice every day, everyone is working so hard. To see that, and know that we are striving for just that one win, that’s all we want, just that one win and of course, the rest of them to follow, but just to get one right now is everyone’s main goal.
What are some goals you have for this season?
Our team just wants to win so badly, but we want to do it in a positive way that reflects how hard we have been working. We want a win to be a very clear and honest win, where you can see our skills are showing through. Not just that we pulled away with it. We are working on communicating with each other in more positive ways on the court. We are really close, especially off the court, so we are working on trying to find that same bond that we have off the court and bring it on to the court.
What is something that is unique to volleyball that one may not see in other sports?
As a sport, when you count how long you actually touch the ball, the game is 30 seconds. I think that is super interesting, it shows how much each touch actually counts. That split second, that one move, deciphers what you get to do. In other sports, you can hold on to the ball and think about what you are doing next. Volleyball is such a quick thinking game.
Do you have any advice for the freshman?
Manage your time well! Keep a schedule, write a list of things to do everyday, but never be behind. If you have free time, make sure you double-check that you are using it wisely.
If you were a Disney character, who would you be?
Wow, I would be Lilo off of Lilo and Stitch because she is a badass. She says what is on her mind but secretly cares. Lilo is a free spirit and I like her.
