Mackenzie Roddy, volleyball senior outside hitter, spikes her way to No. 5 in Sports’ countdown of the top 10 athletes.

Roddy earned nods to the All-MAC First Team, the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s All-Midwest Region Team and the AVCA’s All-American honorable mentions list.

While helping lead NIU to the MAC Tournament semifinals, Roddy led the MAC in kills (514) and kills per set (4.28). Her 4.28 kills per set and 4.82 points per set ranked 26th in the country.

Defensively, her 64 blocks ranked third on the Huskies and her 274 digs ranked fourth.

“The biggest thing that I have improved is my defense and my passing,” Roddy said, according to a Sept. 4 Northern Star article. “I was recruited as a middle utility and I was more of just a hitter and a blocker, but as I progressed into my sophomore year I really focused on my serve receive and my defense and getting to be more of an all-around player, and I think that has been very drastically improved since my freshman year.”