Former Missouri State University athlete MacKenzie Steele is back again as an assistant coach.
Steele is a former beach volleyball player who finished her college career last spring.
In a press release, Mo State Head Volleyball Coach Ashley Emery said "MacKenzie is someone who knows what it means to be a bear. She understands the culture, the expectations and what it takes to compete at a high level in this conference.”
During Steele’s senior year, she posted a team best 24-6 record with teammate Amanda Cleary, which is the second most wins in the team’s history.
During the 2026 season, the Bears opened with 14 consecutive wins and earned their first postseason at the CUSA Championship. Steele was undefeated during the championship.
She earned AVCA Top Flight recognition in her final two seasons.
Steele said in the press release “I’m grateful for the opportunity to pour what this program has given me back into this group of girls and continue building something special here at Missouri State”
KSMU spoke with Steele about her return as a coach:
Tabitha Easterwood: So my first question to you is what made you want to return as an assistant coach?
Mackenzie Steele: I wanted to return because my coaches poured so much into me, and I only felt that it was fair that I poured so much back into the program. I wanted to take what I learned from my previous coaching and my coaches in college, and my strength coaches, and I wanted to just give it back to what I've learned and give the girls a chance to see a different perspective.
Easterwood: How does it feel to be on the coaching side of things now?
Steele: It feels a little funny. I definitely there's girls I played with on the team, so it's kind of like, oh, I want to be out there and playing with you guys. But then I also want to help you get better. And so it's kind of interesting. I definitely like being a coach. I love being able to help them take correction. And then when they do, seeing what the difference is and kind of figuring out different players and their needs, it's really fun. Yeah.
Easterwood: What has been the biggest adjustment going from a player to a coach?
Steele: Hmm. Probably not being able to play, just understanding that I can't be out there and play with them. It's definitely sad because this is definitely a home, so I want to be out there and play with them. But having to change my mindset to, okay, if I can't play with them, how can I get them to the best level they can be?
Easterwood: How has your experience as an athlete prepared you as a coach?
Steele: Being an athlete, we definitely. Time management was a big factor of being a student athlete and so being a coach with that, it kind of helped a lot. I just I know how to balance my work life, my personal life and like my other jobs, like if I work another part time job, I just know how to balance it all. So definitely having the mental aspect to be able to do all that.
Easterwood: What do you think makes for a good beach volleyball team?
Steele: Good people. My coach, Ashley is really heavy on good people. You can train anybody, especially if they're athletic. You can train anybody, but if you don't have good people, then you don't have a good team just because the culture will never be right. I think Ashley has done a really good job recruiting, and we have such a great team because there's not a single person on there you can't go to with something you need.
Easterwood: In a press release, you said that you're looking forward to working with a group of girls. What will be your approach to coaching them?
Steele: My approach to coaching them would be looking and seeing how they learn best. So say if they're more of a visual learner, if you have to break it down for them a little more, even if we have to go down to the fundamentals and start up there just because we got to break a habit or something, just seeing what each individual player needs and then kind of fine tuning it, focusing on whatever is their weakness and making it their strength.
Easterwood: Is there anything you would like to add?
Steele: Its just such a great group of girls. I'm just so excited for this season. First time coaching. And I think we have a really strong shot. And just the coaches, they pour so much into them. I think if they take what the coaches do, our strength coach, our head coach, everything, and then they really (apply) it into their training. I think they have a real good shot of going really far, so I'm super excited for that
