As the "foreign flavor" of the team, Olivia Macdonald knows how to bring the heat and much more. Macdonald currently holds an individual record of 14-9 and has defeated top 10 teams along with her partner Olivia Hallaran. Macdonald stands as a strong and passionate player who is always on her toes, ready for competition.
Previously named MVP of her New Zealand U17 beach and indoor teams in addition to the U19 beach team, she continues to be a force to be reckoned with. Macdonald conveyed the Wildcat way in her first season where she recorded a 13-1 record and posted an impressive 16-8 record her sophomore year. She is excited to be a senior and stand as one of the two senior leaders next year, along with teammate Hailey Devlin, leading the team to another great season. Throughout her time as a Beach Cat, Olivia has become a more fluent, positive, and confident player.
ArizonaWildcats.com sat down with junior Olivia Macdonald to learn more about her expectations for the upcoming Pac-12 tournament.
Q: How have you developed as a player over the years?
A: "I've become more confident in my game. When I first got to the U of A, it was a struggle for sure, but over the years, I've gotten used to the coaching and style of play here. It has gotten a lot easier."
Q: What is something you will be focusing on for the Pac-12 tournament this week?
A: "I'm working on being super aggressive. We have played a lot of the teams before, so we've been working on what we didn't do well with last time and perfecting what we have seen from video, so we can prepare ourselves to beat them and win Pac-12s."
Q: Going into your senior year, what do you look forward to the most?
A: "It is super exciting to be a senior and have to had gone through the program for four years. It's like my little baby!"
Q: How do you feel about you and Hailey Devlin standing as the two senior leaders next year?
A: "It's pretty scary and kind of sad. We've been through it all together and it's our last year, but I think we'll do a good job."
Q: Who are you looking forward to playing in the Pac-12?
A: "I am looking forward to hopefully meeting USC. I think we are going to be a silent threat, and they're not going to know what's coming."
Q: What are you most looking forward to in the pairs competition?
A: "In the pairs competition, I get to play teams that I haven't played at all during the season. It is a whole different type of atmosphere compared to what we've been doing throughout the season."
Q: What has been the highlight of your junior year season?
A: "It has been awesome having such an awesome freshman class come in and seeing our team develop. It has been a great year. There have been ups and downs, but at the end we are coming out stronger than we started."
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