My name is MacKenzie Aries, although most people call me Kenzie or Kenz for short. I am currently a senior at San Dieguito Academy in Encinitas, California. I went to K-8 to St. John's Catholic School, where I was voted "Best Athlete" in the school. I also was on the Academic Decathlon team. We placed first in San Diego County and we went to the state play-offs to see which Catholic school was the smartest in the state. We finished eighth. Before volleyball, I played soccer recreationally for 9 years. However, when I discovered volleyball in 8th grade, I realized that it was a much more entertaining game. Thus, I play volleyball.

INTERESTS

In addition to volleyball, I enjoy fishing, making web sites, and playing videogames. Before I played volleyball, I went fishing at least once a week and up to five days a week. My friend and I take my kayak down to the beach, paddle out, fish, and then return home with supper (hopefully).

KINDA' GEEKY

My San Dieguito Academy high school girls volleyball site was the web site of the month in Volleyball Magazine for January 2007. I am starting an online volleyball site site as well as a volleyball blog I have set up for this site. I am planning on making a Cat Directory animal welfare site to help the needy feral and domestic cats of the world. I am also starting a site on "How To Save The Planet," an intended resource for the environmental movement - it currently operates as a "green blog" for now. I also hate to admit that I am a total nerd. Yes, I play World of Warcraft. Sad, isn't it?

I LOVE ANIMALS

I have many pets, including 8 cats (3 of which are feral which we feed), 3 rabbits, 2 mice, and a 55-gallon aquarium which I keep in my room. If you ever wonder why half of my shirts have holes in them, look no further than my rabbit, Star. She much prefers cotton over carrots.

I EVEN SOMETIMES WORK

I work part-time doing HTML editing and I also occasionally referee volleyball matches for local volleyball tournaments. I also am a "cat mom" where I take in kittens from the humane society and keep them until they are healthy enough for adoption. For the month or so that I have them, I have to get up during the middle of the night to feed them.

JUST HOW DID I GET THE NAME KENZILLA?

I get called a lot of different names - Kenz, Kenzie, Kenzer, MacKenzie, McKenzie or worse... My last name is often spelled incorrectly, Aires, Ayres and other permutations. I get weird looks sometimes when people see my email address or hear my web site name. I am often asked just how I came up with the name Kenzilla. Well, here it is... We were playing in a tournament and I had quite a few blocks in a match that we won. One of my teammates said, "You were like Godzilla on the net." Another teammate overheard that comment and replied, "No, you were like Kenzilla."

COLLEGE & COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL

Some things I am interested in include dinosaurs and paleontology as well as marine biology. (My favorite movies include Jurassic Park and Deep Blue Sea.) I know I want a Master's Degree in Business, but beyond that I am not sure where my life will take me.

As far as college volleyball, I would probably prefer a smaller academic school. The most important factors for me are the coach, team chemistry, academic standing and geographic location... probably in that order.

"Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard."

 Setting
 Saves
 Serving
 Hustle
 Hitting
 Kenzie Junior Olympics
 Blocking
 Digging
 Dumps
 Pancakes
 Kenzie Interview
VOLLEYBALL COACHES ARE SAYING

"Kenzie is the hardest working player I have ever coached. "
Lara Ramey, former USC player and current club co-director

"...talents that will help her at the next level."
Pat Powers, Olympic Gold Medalist & Former USC head coach

"Out of all the girls I have coached Kenzie is by far the best when you combine strength with coordination and speed."
Stu Waite, Beach Volleyball Coach

"Incredible work ethic, powerful, coachable, perfectionist, leader, dominating player, works hard at every aspect of the game."
Diane Pascua AVP player, member of Philippines Olympic team

"...she possesses all the fundamentals that are required to be a top notch sand player."
Petia Yanchulova, Olympic Beach Volleyball Player

"...very physically powerful player who is at the same time agile and quick."
Stu Waite, Beach Volleyball Coach

"Kenzie's talents and passion will easily take her to the next level of the game beyond high school."
Julie Kaiser, Former Club Director, high school volleyball coach.

"Kenzie gets to every ball."
Dexter Harvey, high school volleyball coach.

Read more comments from volleyball coaches

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