Things to know about...Molly Locke

Molly Locke, junior outside hitter for Mercer University’s Women’s Volleyball Team, has been a crucial part of the team since her first year as a freshman.

In her sophomore season, Locke led the team with 278 kills, averaging 2.40 kills per set. She also led the team with nine double-double performances throughout the season.

This year alone, Locke has already racked up six double-doubles in the team’s nine matches completed. She is only 265 kills away from reaching 1000 kills in her collegiate career.

Locke started playing volleyball when she was 11 years old. She played on her middle school’s sixth grade team. Soon after, Locke began playing club, and that is when she fell in love with the game.

“When I first started playing, it was so new and exciting, so I automatically loved it. It didn't take me but probably a year to realize it's the sport I wanted to pursue. When it started to become my ticket to school I kind of stopped loving it because I saw it as a job,” said Locke. “This past summer is when I started to really love it again. I started playing for fun and not just for competition, and it made me look forward to this season more than I had before.”

After competitively playing for a few years, Locke knew that she wanted to pursue a college volleyball career. Once she found Mercer, everything fell into place.

“I knew I wanted to play Division I volleyball, but I also knew it would have to be a smaller school. I liked knowing I would be a face and not just a number. I wanted to be a part of a program that I knew I could have an impact on. I also wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself,” said Locke. “Mercer Volleyball is headed toward big things, and it's going to be pretty cool to know that I was a part of that. Mercer always has been a great school and it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.”

While volleyball is an extremely important part of her life, Locke’s family is also a huge part of her life. Her parents are tremendously supportive of her, and she particularly looks up to her mom.

“My hero, as cliché as this is, would have to be my mom. My mom is the backbone of my family. She keeps everything together and ALWAYS puts those she loves over herself,” said Locke. “I've never met anybody in this world as selfless as her. I could be having the worst day of my life, and I could feel like I'm falling apart, but she seems to put me back together.”

After Mercer and her volleyball career, Locke plans to be a special education teacher. She is a part of the holistic child program at Mercer, and she is hoping to make a difference in the world.

“I feel like I have been called to help others, whether it's making someone's day a little easier or even something bigger. That's part of the reason I want to teach special education, because I want to help these children with disabilities understand their worth and their abilities,” said Locke. “I would hate to look back on my life one day and feel like I failed my students and also those around me.”