Makenna Tuthill left the Crystal Springs Uplands court in tears after her team lost in the second round of the CIF State Division V Norcal playoffs in Hillsboro.
The loss was significant for Bret Hart High School senior, who feared it would end her career as a volleyball player. As a core player on her school's two most successful volleyball teams, she felt uncertain about her own future in competitive volleyball.
Shortly after losing in the state playoffs, Tuthill traded volleyball for basketball and returned to the hardwoods. With no plans to play volleyball in college, Tuthill made the most of her final basketball season.
In early 2024, her volleyball dreams were revived when Pacific Union University showed interest. Even though she knew little about the Seventh-day Adventist Church school in Angwin, 240 miles from Bret Harte, Ms. Tuthill earned her nursing degree and continued her volleyball career. I was drawn to the opportunity.
“It’s really exciting to see someone see potential in me and believe that I can grow even after my senior year,” Tuthill said. “I’m really excited to see where I go and how good I can become as a volleyball player.”
In a matter of months, Tuthill went from thinking her volleyball days were over to securing a spot on the college team.
“It's perfect,” Tuthill said of Pacific Union. “We have nursing care, it's close to home, we can play volleyball, and it's close to home.”
For most athletes, leaving their high school team is a difficult reality. But in Tuthill's case, her main focus was nursing, which she planned to prioritize over volleyball. She needed a university that offered a reputable nursing program and was close to her family.
“After volleyball ended, I wanted to continue playing because I was so happy with volleyball and the situation, but I knew that nursing came first,” she said. . “I needed a nursing program and it needed to be close to home for me to even consider playing there.”
Pacific Union College met all of Tuthill's criteria, including a strong nursing program, small student body, and active sports program, including volleyball. And it's close enough for her mother, Sarah, to watch her play.
“When choosing a college, proximity to home was one of the most important things on my list,” she said. “That's why it was so hard for me to think about going south and liking those schools just because they're far away. This school is within driving distance home, and my mom played my volleyball game. This is one of the most important aspects of attending college.
Having spent most of her life playing volleyball, including participating in travel volleyball in her younger years, Tuthill deepened her passion for the sport at Bret Harte under head coach Jaycee Polovich, who nurtured Tuthill's love for the game. , made the team feel like family.
“Mrs. (Bae) Orovic and the family-like atmosphere of the team made volleyball even better and it became the highlight of my high school career,” she said. “I've been through so many things and I'll always be through so many things, but volleyball has been the best thing I've ever had in my life. There's a family aspect to the team. Mrs. P was such a great person.'' A great coach. ”
At the end of her senior season, Tuthill proved her skills with impressive statistics and was named a Mother Lode League All-League player for the second consecutive year. As a member of her first team, Tuthill recorded 146 kills, 3 assists, 6 serve-receives, 5 aces, 21 digs, and 25 blocks. Currently, she wants to try her abilities at the college level after a successful high school career.
“I like pressure because I feel like it pushes me to do my best and to the best of my ability,” she said. “I talked to the girls and they said the team is getting better. We've recruited a lot of good players this year, so we're excited to see what happens.”
Pacific Union also has a women's basketball team. Tuthill, who led the Bullfrogs to the 2023 CIF State Division V championship as a varsity player for three years, has not ruled out playing basketball at the collegiate level. However, she plans to evaluate how well she can manage her nursing classes and volleyball before making any basketball decisions.
“It depends on how I do in the nursing program and how I can juggle that and if I can really miss enough basketball,” she said.
Ms. Tuthill is grateful for the opportunity to continue playing volleyball, a sport that has brought her immense joy and taught her valuable life lessons. When I look back on her Bret Hart volleyball career, I have nothing but fond memories. And she hopes to be the same after her career at Pacific Union ends.
“Volleyball meant the most to me and was the most important thing in my life besides my family, friends, and school,” she said. “Volleyball has gotten me through a lot of difficult times. I've had some successes, I've had some failures. It's shown me so many different things that it's hard to understand where I've been and where I've been. I'm very happy to see what's going on.”