She stands 6-1, with four inches added in a growth spurt not long ago, bearing arms almost too long for her sleeves. On the volleyball court, Eagan's McKenna Melville looks right at home playing at the net among the tallest and the longest.
But her preferred stance is crouched low, just behind the 10-foot-line, eyes focused on the net with her arms together, awaiting an opposing attack. She's skilled at virtually every aspect of volleyball but defense is her foundation, the bread of her game. Everything else is just a condiment.
"Honestly, I love defense," Melville said. "It's the first thing. You're not going to score unless you play defense."
While stopping the other team is her central to her game, Melville can do just about anything on the court and do it at a high level, one that has earned her the 2017 Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year.
Eagan will be making its fifth consecutive trip to the state tournament this week, having won the past two Class 3A championships and three of the last four. Melville has been a four-year starter for the Wildcats and has never completed a varsity season without a trip to Xcel Energy Center.
She earned that court time through her versatility, spending time at every position, from defensive specialist through a stint as a setter to now, where she's counted on as the team's top attacker.
"That's helped me become the player I am," she said. "And it helps create stability. We have so many players who can do other things that we can all flow with each other and stay stable."
The best part of Melville's game is the least visible. She doesn't just play volleyball, she thinks it. Her familiarity with every role on the court usually allows her to be steps ahead of her opponents. No surprise, since her coach, Hall of Famer Kathy Gillen, is also her mother.
