Love of volleyball, focus on academics carries Quaker Valley’s Molly MacDonald to Middlebury College

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, August 10, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Quaker Valley grad Molly MacDonald is a tall and talented, highly educated athlete.

Yes, she was a top-notch volleyball player for the Quakers for four seasons, but she’s also played a variety of other sports in her accomplished athletic career.

“I was happy playing soccer, lacrosse, basketball and tennis and had no interest in trying volleyball,” MacDonald said. “My two older sisters played volleyball and loved it, and my mom thought that I would like it too.

“My mom signed me up for a Pitt Elite volleyball camp, and she still teases me because I cried the first two times I was there. It didn’t take long for me to start to like the sport. The more I played, the better I got and the more I liked it. Now, I love it.”

That was back in sixth grade.

“I stopped playing club lacrosse in ninth grade to focus on volleyball,” said the 18-year-old MacDonald, who also was a figure skater in her younger days.

MacDonald and a trio of senior teammates — setter Vanessa Pickett, outside hitter Nora Hammond and libero Carmen Forsythe — played major roles in QV’s girls volleyball success the past three years. Last year, the Quakers advanced to the WPIAL finals for the first time in school history and came home with their first district title.

MacDonald, Pickett, Hammond and Forsythe served as the team’s co-captains.

“Some of the most valuable lessons in volleyball are communication and learning how to be not only be physically strong but also mentally,” said MacDonald, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter. “You need to communicate effectively and efficiently. You only have a few seconds until the ball will drop, so you need to think and act fast.

“After you make a mistake, you need to communicate and give and take constructive criticism. Volleyball is a very heavy mental game. You don’t have time to get in your head. You can’t dwell on your mistakes because volleyball is literally a game of mistakes. And advice I would give to younger players: Always push yourself to be better and give 110% effort all of the time.”

MacDonald is the only one on the Quaker Valley team continuing her volleyball career at the next level. She was recruited by Middlebury College in Vermont.

“I am super excited to play for coach Sarah Raunecker and to help the Panthers defend their title as NESCAC champs,” MacDonald said.

Middlebury competes in the NCAA Division III New England Small College Athletic Conference. Other NESCAC members are Amherst, Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Connecticut, Hamilton, Tufts, Trinity, Wesleyan and Williams.

“I think Molly made a great decision for both her academics and her athletics,” QV coach Mike Vavrek said. “She will do well. She has worked very hard the last few years to earn this opportunity. Molly is a very dominant outside hitter and has a ton of volleyball experience.

“Molly has really worked on her game, not just in the high school season, but playing club volleyball, as well as taking private lessons at times. Molly’s strength is her knowledge of the game. She is a very smart volleyball player. That also carries over to her academics, as she is a very bright student.”

MacDonald graduated from QV with honors thanks to a 4.94 GPA and was one of four students in the Global Scholars program. She earned the President’s Volunteer Service Award by completing more than 250 hours of service time and won the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber Scholarship.

The soon-to-be college student also was a member of the National Honor Society and student council and was awarded a scholarship from the Keystone Regional Volleyball Association, the governing body for club volleyball in Pennsylvania.

“My family moved to Sewickley in August 2014 when I was going into second grade,” MacDonald said. “I am the youngest of four kids, so I grew up watching my siblings juggle schoolwork and sports. I went to a lot of games and tournaments. I copied what they did by being organized and disciplined.

“It is how our family rolled, and I didn’t know any different. My mom has never micromanaged our schoolwork. That was always our job to make sure we knew what our work was and to turn it in on time and to the best of our ability.”

MacDonald plans to study math and economics at Middlebury. She is scheduled to report on campus Aug. 19 and classes start in September.

“I really wanted to go to a NESCAC school. My brother and sister both competed or are competing in the NESCAC, which made me want to go to an NESCAC school even more,” MacDonald said. ”I also loved the location and the outdoors aspect of Middlebury. I went on a visit and fell in love with it. The campus is beautiful, and I really loved the coach.

“My goal has always been to go to a strong academic school.”

MacDonald, who says she has been her current height for almost as long as she can remember, was a four-year starter at QV along with Pickett. Hammond also was a four-year varsity player.

The Middlebury recruit achieved a career milestone last season by recording her 500th kill during a 3-0 section win against Avonworth, joining Annica Kagle as the only players to attain 500 career kills at QV.

During her stellar career, MacDonald was named all-state once, all-WPIAL twice, first team all-section, second team all-section and was selected to an all-area team.

Along with Clark LaLomia (track, cross country), Andrew Vescio (soccer) and Mia Modrovich (soccer), MacDonald represented QV at the 15th annual WPIAL Summit on Sportsmanship held Nov. 13 at the Senator John Heinz History Center and Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum.

“My favorite memories have been winning WPIALs my senior year,” MacDonald said, “and my last game against Beaver my junior year. It was my last game with my pepper partner (Katelyn Clark) since she was a senior.

“(And) it’s cool that the WPIAL brings athletes from all sports together for the summit. Sports are so much more than competing on a court or field. They teach us life skills like working hard, having discipline, juggling and managing our time, being a good sport, learning how to win and to lose. I can’t imagine my high school or college experience without my teams.”

MacDonald played club volleyball from U13 to U18 with the Pittsburgh Elite Volleyball Association.

The enterprising teen owns a charity called Brazos de Bienvenidas which, when translated, means “Welcoming Arms.”

She collects clothing, household items and food for underserved Hispanic and Brazilian residents who relocate to Pittsburgh.

“We work with the Sisters of St. Joseph’s out of Baden, Casa San Jose and the Center for Hope in Ambridge,” MacDonald said. “I’m most likely going to continue running it digitally, and my mom will make the drop-offs for me. My parents’ two businesses will remain donation sites.”

Donation sites include Advanced Chiropractic of Sewickley, located at 626 Beaver Street, and Transformation Weight Loss & Wellness, 2200 Georgetown Drive, Suite 102.

“Molly has a great work ethic,” Vavrek said, “and that is something that carries over into the classroom, and also in the community with the things she does outside of volleyball.

“Molly is very competitive and someone who wants to win all the time, which is great for an outside hitter because she wants the ball in all situations. Molly is also very dedicated. She is always wanting to work and improve.”

Eden Palladini and Keira Sanner were senior defensive specialists for the Quakers during last year’s championship run. Other reserves included juniors Gabby Frank (MH/RS), Grace Carver (RS/DS), Ella Palmer (DS) and Donika Keo (DS).

“Every girl that comes through this program has an impact on it,” Vavrek said. “We had six seniors on the volleyball team last year. They were dedicated teammates who helped create a great culture in our gym who hopefully this year’s seniors have learned from.”

The Quakers won the Section 1-2A title with a 14-0 record last season and finished 18-3 overall.

Tags: Quaker Valley