When new students stepped onto campus this fall, they were joined by another unfamiliar face: Macey Zinser, the new head coach of the Kenyon women’s volleyball team. Zinser comes to the Hill from neighboring Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU) and was originally hired as the Owls’ assistant volleyball coach before being promoted to the head coach position in April. Zinser sat down with Sports Editor Olivia Braun ’27 to discuss the upcoming season.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Olivia Braun (OB): What is your background in volleyball? How did you first start playing?

Macey Zinser (MZ): I started playing volleyball right around seventh grade, just because my sister played it and I wanted to do everything that she did. I really loved just focusing on volleyball, and then I had the opportunity to play in college at Lourdes University in Sylvania, Ohio. I was super, super lucky to get to play five years of collegiate volleyball, and it was the best time of my life. I always say if I could go back, I would.

OB: What made you want to get into coaching volleyball?

MZ: I loved my coach [Greg Reitz] so much. He honestly inspired me to be a coach. I liked the kind of program that he ran and [after graduating] I volunteered as an assistant coach with him for a semester for the men’s volleyball team. So I got to dabble a little bit on the men’s side, which was very unique. After that, I was looking around and I actually ended up at MVNU, which is right down the road. I worked under Kendra Mosher, who was the head coach [at Kenyon] from 2017 to 2019. And Kendra, along with Greg; they inspired me so much. I was like, “Yes, this is exactly what I want to do. I want to run a program.” I know exactly how to do it because of them.

OB: What do you enjoy most about coaching, whether it’s head coaching or being an assistant coach or a grad assistant?

MZ: It’s kind of everything, which I guess means it’s good that it’s my career. I love watching my players achieve all of their dreams, ambitions and goals that they have. So of course I love coaching, like technique and platform angles and approaches and blocking footwork, and at the end of the day, yes, I want to win. But at the same time, it’s so rewarding seeing these young female athletes achieve everything they want to achieve. 

OB: This is your first season in the NCAA, as opposed to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). What are the differences you’ve experienced transitioning between the two?

MZ: I mean, the playing level, a lot of people will say, is the difference. Personally, on my own observation, I would say the main difference when it comes to the level of play is height and then a little bit of speed. I think the other difference is [NAIA] schools can offer scholarships, and [NCAA schools] can’t for athletics. So that has definitely been a learning curve for me. Coming here, I had to learn a different way of recruiting because when you come to a school like Kenyon, you are definitely putting your academics first, and that is super, super important. So you have to learn how to navigate that. 

OB: I understand it can be difficult for a team to transition from one coach to another. What are some things you plan to implement to make this transition as seamless as possible? 

MZ: When I came in, I noticed how close the girls were. Because they’ve had a lot of head coaches, when I came in and realized how close they were, I [did not] want to lose that. I want that to stay. The team culture is so rich; they love each other, they have each other’s back. So that is something I’ve been saying: “Okay, how can we make it better? How can we make it stronger? How can we keep it alive?” I think communication is the number one thing when it comes to everything. I’m really passionate about: If you want to say something, say it. I always want the girls to feel like they can come and talk to me about anything. 

OB: You have eight first years on the team this year. What are the pros and cons of having a lot of new faces on the team?

MZ: So pros, you have eight new friends, you know, eight new potential relationships, which I think is really awesome. I think the best part about having a big class is pushing those upperclassmen. I think when [first years] come in, they are so new to collegiate volleyball, so they’re fearless in a way, which I love. And then cons: I would just say we’re a young team. I think sometimes that can definitely be seen as a little bit scary. But I guess I’m a very positive person, so even though it’s technically a con for me, we could really build something. 

OB: With this being your first season as head coach, what are some of your goals for the season?

MZ: I definitely am ambitious. I would love to maybe get to eight to 10 wins. I think that’s reasonable, but also kind of pushing my team a little bit. They only had, I think, five last year, maybe six, and no away game wins. Those are things that we can measurably make better. I think it’s super important that if we push through and win some games, we can win the hard games and compete with Wittenberg and compete with Denison, just because those are tough games. And I think if we win some of the games we are very capable of winning, we can compete and hopefully beat those other teams as well. 

OB: Do you have any specific game day routines?

MZ: As a player, I had a ton. I had to have my hair in either two tiny braids on top of my head in a high pony, or just slicked in a high pony. But it was a high pony, no matter what. I never wore my hair any other way. So as a coach, I would say the same thing. And I just like to be prepared. So my hair, film, scouting and maybe some affirmations.