Women's Volleyball | November 10, 2017

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- She came to Western Michigan as Syd the Kid four years ago.

Now, senior volleyball player Sydney LeMay will leave the school as one of the top middle blockers to ever don the Brown and Gold.

The three-year first-team All-Mid-American Conference performer who was also the Freshman of the Year in the Mid-American Conference in 2014, along with fellow seniors Olivia Kofie and Sydney Cheatham will be involved in their final home matches of their career Friday and Saturday when the Broncos host Toledo on Friday night and Ball State on Saturday night. Both begin at 7 p.m.

''It's really weird,'' LeMay said. ''I really haven't tried to think about it a lot because I don't want to think about it.

''I've just tried to focus on practices, having fun and not thinking about the last of everything, which has been good because I don't want to be emotional about it. In these two matches, it's about taking them one at a time because these are two of the most important matches of the year.''

One win would definitely put Western Michigan into the MAC postseason tournament.

''I'm focusing on the matches and not being the last of anything.''

Her focus has been rock-solid since she entered the program from Middleville Thornapple Kellogg High School. LeMay showed how serious she was in her senior prep year. She and a friend took a weight lifting class, which consisted of the two volleyball players and the rest being football players.

Going into Friday night's matches, she is the only Bronco to ever earn three first-team All-MAC awards. LeMay has 1,355 kills, which is seventh all time on the Western Michigan career list. She is also one of 22 players to achieve the coveted 1,000-kill mark. The biochemistry major and biology minor is also a two-time Academic All-MAC selection.

''She has come so far,'' volleyball head coach Colleen Munson said. ''She has always been so physical, but she has gone from a one-dimensional attacking middle blocker to also being a very good blocker and defensive player.

''It's been really neat to see.''

And that coming from a player who thought she would be redshirted in her freshman season because Western Michigan already had several middle blockers.

''I honestly thought I would be here for five years, and not just four years,'' LeMay said. ''I just wanted to work hard, get the most I could out of it and I've honestly gotten more out of it than I ever thought I would.

''Coming in, you don't realize how important your teammates are to you, but it's your whole life. The coaches have done things to give back to us and help us grow up and make us women with life skills, show us how hard to work and how to grow up and be leaders.''

The physical skills have always been there, but Munson has seen how LeMay has grown in the mental part of the game.

''It's like she was on autopilot as a freshman and the upper classmen were helping her along,'' the coach said. ''Now that's the role she has assumed this year as a leader in helping the younger players develop.

''She understands about one practice at a time and one match at a time as a team.''

The one match at a time mindset paid off at the end of her freshman season. After going through an up-and-down conference regular season, Western Michigan entered the MAC tournament with virtually no momentum. The Broncos swept Buffalo in the first round and beat No. 4 seed Ball State, 3-1, in the second round.

Then came the magic. Playing against No. 1 seed and host Ohio University in the semifinals, the Broncos lost the first two sets, then rallied to win the final three sets to make the championship match. In the fifth set, Western Michigan was losing, 12-7, and rallied for the win.

The big rally happened again against Miami in the championship match. The Broncos lost the first two sets, then roared back to win three straight and take the title.

Off the court, LeMay is a studying, working machine.

''She mentors a young lady on a weekly basis, she coaches club volleyball and is a biochemistry major,'' Munson said. ''She is living out the student-athlete experience.

''She has given us everything she has since the first season.''

After graduating from Western Michigan this coming spring, she's looking to continue going to school in a Physician Assistant program and work in pediatrics.

''I'm really focused on graduating and my classes are super hard,'' LeMay said. ''I almost switched my major in my sophomore year because it was too hard to juggle those classes and volleyball.

''I actually switched for about 24 hours, then switched back and I'm so happy I did. The classes are incredibly difficult, but it's made me prioritize everything, which is something that wouldn't have happened if I would have switched.''

Like LeMay, Kofie hasn't come off the court very much in her four years at Western Michigan.

''Olivia and Sydney complement each other tremendously, both on and off the court,'' Munson said. ''They push each other, talk through things on the court and there is a mutual respect for each other.''

Cheatham, who is LeMay's roommate, had her season cut short before it even started when she suffered a season-ending injury in the first practice of the season.

All three will be honored after Saturday match against the Cardinals.