This week’s Athlete of the Week is junior volleyball player Morgan McDermott from Camillus, N.Y. Recently, McDermott was named the NE-10 volleyball player of the week, having landed 43 kills and a .474 clip, thus leading the Dolphins to a 4-0 record at the Nation’s Capital Tournament. For the last two years, she has been named a third team all-conference selection, and will be a major force in the ‘Phins season.

How long have you been playing volleyball and what is your favorite part of the sport?

I started playing volleyball in 7th grade. I was always a basketball player but in middle school we were allowed to play both sports so I gave it a try. My favorite part of the sport would probably be digging up an awesome hit … but it’s a rare occurrence for me considering I don’t play back row defense. So really, I just like to block the awesome hits.

What is the most memorable moment of your volleyball career thus far at Le Moyne?

This season’s opening tournament was in Washington, D.C., and when we played University of D.C. one of their hitters was talking some serious trash to me through the net. We were down 24-19 in the fourth game and we ended up coming back and winning to shut her up. I get overly competitive at times so it made winning this particular game that much more intense.

How do you feel the current season is going so far?

I think we’ve had a really strong start to our season. We are currently 6-1 which is a really good set up going into conference play. This year we have Lizzie Cheek as our graduate assistant and she pushes us really hard to reach our potential. She has made a huge difference on the team this year and we’re really lucky to have her back even though we wish she was still on the court with us.

Any pre-game rituals?

I always listen to Mariah Carey Christmas music before I play. It’s good year-round — don’t knock it till you try it.

Goals for this season?

Obviously we would love to win a Conference Championship but we’re taking it one game at a time.