Makaela Keeve was coming off a personal best year in 2019, and looked forward to ending her impressive Chico State volleyball stint with a flourish in 2020. But the Wildcats’ standout middle hitter had no way of knowing that a few months after earning All-California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) honors, the coronavirus pandemic would cancel her senior season and threaten a premature end to her college career. Good news for ’Cats fans, though—she has already decided to use her COVID-prompted extra year of eligibility and return to Acker Gym this fall. Keeve’s past successes on the court and the accomplishments to come make her the latest Wildcat of the Week.
“I’m going to stay and go into the master’s program for business at Chico State to get my MBA,” Keeve said. “I actually went back and forth between graduating and staying and playing. But when I really got to thinking about it, it suddenly seemed like an easy decision. I’m not really done playing, and I want to use my year of eligibility and finish what I have started. You only get to play in college once.”
In fact, all three Chico State volleyball seniors—Keeve, Kelley Jacome, and Evelyn Clonts—are planning to return for the 2021 campaign, giving the Wildcats a formidable foundation to challenge for the conference title.
Things were not so rosy last fall, as Keeve and her Wildcat teammates were forced to sit when COVID-19 kept the team from competing in 2020.
“It was definitely the strangest few months of my life,” Keeve said. “I wasn’t that surprised (when the official announcement was made last August), but it was heartbreaking at the same time. Being an athlete for as long as I have, not having access to (the court), I just didn’t feel like myself.”
Interestingly, according to Keeve, the layoff provided an unexpected positive for the program.
“It gave our team an opportunity to have more bonding time with each other,” she said. “Normally in the fall, we get thrown into the season, and have to figure out who each other is. We don’t really get the time to know each other outside of the gym. A lot of us are living in Chico, so we’ve been able to see other face-to-face occasionally, and weekly Zoom team meetings have helped to make our new players feel welcome and part of the team. We also communicate a lot on social media.”
Keeve took advantage of the down time to dedicate herself to her studies. Not that she hasn’t before—the business administration major is a four-time CCAA All-Academic award winner and has earned a pair of Division Two Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Awards.
Chico State volleyball head coach Tommy Gott has nothing but the highest regard for Keeve and the success she’s experienced in all facets of her college career.
“Makaela made an immediate impact in the program the moment she stepped on campus and in the gym,” Gott said. “Her growth and development as a player can easily be seen over the years, (culminating with) earning All-CCAA honors in 2019.
“More impressive about Makaela is her dedication to her academia, and to be just as successful in the classroom as she is on the court. She is very engaged with her teachers and classmates, and has been successful in some of her major class projects and presentations where she has actually presented to corporations and placed highly in marketing competitions related to her major. With her type of focus and drive as a person in general, the sky’s the limit for Makaela. I look forward to seeing how high she reaches in both her academic and athletic careers.”
One doesn’t have to look beyond the Chico State volleyball record books to see what she’s accomplished on the hardwood. Keeve racked up a career-high 292 kills in 2019, and has 685 in her Wildcat career. In just three seasons, she ranks fourth in program history in blocks assists (221), fifth in total blocks (255), fifth in hitting percentage (.295), and eighth in blocks per set (0.84).
Keeve is proud to be a prominent fixture in the Wildcat record books, but her decision to return for the 2021 season has more to do with keeping a promise than padding her career stats.
“It means the world to me,” she said of her to-date career accomplishments. “This last year means even more, because it will be my first season without Cody (Hein, the Wildcats’ longtime head coach who passed away last January). “He recruited me, and believed in my talents. I promised that I would play for four years, and it means the world to me to know that I will have made him happy, and I’ll be able to leave the type of legacy that every player aspires to.”
There are many special moments in Keeve’s Wildcat career.
“(Getting to play in 2019 in) Hawaii is a huge one, because it was a great experience in general,” Keeve said. “Going up against our rivals like San Francisco State and Cal State Monterey Bay, and beating Monterey Bay twice in a season was a great feeling. There’s so many good (memories), it’s hard to choose.
“Playing (eventual Division II national champion) Cal State San Bernardino in the 2019 CCAA Tournament is a favorite, because I think it was some of the best volleyball we had played all season. Our seniors played great, and even though we lost, we had them on their heels. They looked scared. It was kind of fun to poke the bear, and we were proud to go out with that.”
Asked if she was prouder of her on-court success or achievements in the classroom, Keeve did not hesitate.
“A little bit of both, but I’m probably most proud of what I’ve accomplished off the court,” she said. “You can only be a college athlete for four years, but the connections and accomplishments in the classroom are the catalysts for what you can achieve in the future.”
Juggling her athletic and academic responsibilities, a very real challenge for any student-athlete, is one Keeve has embraced.
“I think it’s difficult at first when you’re transitioning from high school to college, but if you can find and use resources around you, it makes it much easier,” Keeve said. “It’s a tough task, no matter what. But if you can manage your time, talk to your professors, and use the university’s resources, it can make for a really great network and you can figure out how to succeed.”
In her free time, Keeve works out when she can (“it’s kind of an escape from feeling like you’re locked in the house,” she said), has been reading more, doing yoga when she gets the chance, and spending time with her friends and other student-athletes. She’s also passionate about listening to true crime podcasts like Crime Junkie, Morbid, and Court Junkie.
Like just about everyone associated with Chico State, Keeve looks forward to eventually returning to some sort of normalcy and enjoying the simple joys of being a college student on campus.
“I miss a little bit of everything,” Keeve said. “I like to sit in lecture halls, and I enjoy the atmosphere in the city when school’s in session. You see college students left and right, and it’s fun to run into people you haven’t seen for awhile. I miss just sitting on campus; the atmosphere and the daily routine.”
Keeve is upbeat about her return to the Chico State volleyball team and the chance to make more memories before calling it a career. She also hopes her fellow Wildcat student-athletes stay optimistic as well.
“There is an end in sight, and everyone should look back at this time and be proud of what they’ve accomplished during (the pandemic),” Keeve said. “There’s always a reason to be positive, and hopefully in a few months we’ll be told we can get back to normal.”
Do you know a Wildcat who deserves to be considered for a Wildcat of the Week honor? We're looking for current student-athletes who are making you proud athletically, academically, and/or in the community. If you have an idea, please take a moment to let us know by completing this five-question survey.
