For Casey McDermott, volleyball has been a part of her life for as long as she can remember.

Now, that lifelong connection is taking her to Stonehill College, where she will continue her athletic career while studying biology.

“I’ve played for a long time since I was little, and my dad is the varsity coach, so I was around volleyball a lot growing up,” said McDermott.

Being around the sport from such a young age made an impact. McDermott started thinking about playing at the next level near the end of middle school.

Her goal of playing in college then led her to a challenging recruitment process, between reaching out to coaches, visiting campuses, and figuring out what she wanted to do both academically and athletically.

“It was pretty rigorous, it was a lot of communicating, taking visits, and deciding what I wanted to do,” explained McDermott.

After looking at multiple schools, McDermott found the right fit at Stonehill College.

“Stonehill has a great culture on the team and through the school, a beautiful campus, and I really like the location,” she said.

Looking ahead, McDermott is mostly excited about meeting new people, especially her teammates.

“I’m looking forward to the beginning, when I get to meet everyone, make new friends, andstart to build my team,” marked McDermott.

As she prepares to leave Evanston, McDermott will miss the community and the people she grew up with.

“I will miss the people here in Evanston. There’s such a great community and culture here,” finalized McDermott.