The cul-de-sac has moved this week, changing zip codes and time zones.
What normally is described as a half-circle dead-end street is anything but to Olivia Magill. Her Seattle-area cul-de-sac encircled her with love and confidence, allowing her the freedom to choose routes that weren’t safe or predictable or comfortable because — as Magill will tell you — she knew she could always go back.
Back to the three houses on the cul-de-sac where her neighbors were her grandparents and her aunt and uncle. Where she and her sister spent the afternoons after school waiting for their mom to return from work.
That Magill is finishing her collegiate volleyball career at Hawaii instead of Arizona, or even Washington some 8 miles south off the I-5, is because of the cul-de-sac. With her roots so grounded, the Rainbow Wahine senior middle branched out to become one of the top blockers in the country.
Currently ranked No. 2 nationally, Magill has helped No. 6 Hawaii (18-1, 8-0 Big West) become No. 1 in stuffs. The Rainbow Wahine take that 3.5 bps average, as well as a 13-match winning streak, into this week’s final regular-season home matches with UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton.
The cul-de-sac will be watching and celebrating both nights, as well as participating in the on-court senior night festivities after Sunday’s match. Among those expected to bury Magill under lei are her mother, grandparents, aunt and boyfriend.
It will be like nothing she would have experienced had Magill not transferred from Arizona last season.
"I can’t even imagine this being my senior year at Arizona," she said. "My life would have been totally different. I was even supposed to play outside (hitter) my senior year. That would have been fun.
"It’s really cool and special to be treated like we are here for volleyball. It’s something that I had to grow into, it wasn’t my personality. I’ll be driving and someone will honk and yell my name, or I’ll be walking and someone will shaka and yell, ‘Go ‘Bows.’
"But my 15 minutes of fame is almost over. Since I was 13 my life has only been about sports. I’m ready to be just a student."
But the 6-foot-1 Magill, who can touch 10-6, will have left her mark on a storied program. It may have taken three years to develop into the blocking beast that her teammates call her, but she has more than arrived in terms of being a defensive, as well as an offensive, presence at the net.
"My entire career, blocking has been my ‘weakest’ skill," said Magill, the Big West leader in hitting percentage (.394), who is also averaging 2.48 kills per set. "At least that’s what (Arizona coach) Dave Rubio and now this Dave (UH coach Shoji) have said." "What’s interesting is I feel more comfortable with my blocking than my hitting now."
She’s also become more comfortable with the unofficial role of team mom.
"I didn’t want that, but someone has to be like that," she said. "This year, it was me."
"She has turned into a mom," junior setter Tayler Higgins said. "We needed her to do that and we’re happy she is. Olivia is such a presence on the team, on the court as well as off the court."
"I’m super grateful to have the opportunity to play with her," added hitter Tai Manu-Olevao, the Wahine’s other senior. "It’s been cool to bond with her and share having our last year together. She’s been a beast blocking and it’s been great to see her leadership."
Shoji is happy that his transfer more than worked out. Magill led Arizona in total blocks both of her seasons in Tucson (104 as a freshman, 119 as sophomore) but continues to improve during her time at Manoa (137 last season, 97 currently with eight conference matches remaining).
"Obviously she is a huge part of the team," Shoji said. "She’s given us offense and defense, is putting up great numbers.
"It’s nice to see her having a great senior year. We will miss her."
Without volleyball in spring, Magill plans to increase her course credits to 19 in order to graduate on time with a communications degree. The future includes graduate school, traveling and no practice schedule.
"This chapter is over," she said. "I haven’t figured out what I want to do, but I’m looking forward to actually having time for other interests.
"I love volleyball. I’ve loved playing in (the Stan Sheriff Center), but I do feel I’m ready for a new adventure. The nicest part of not having a schedule is I can take a nap if I want because I don’t have practice."
She doesn’t anticipate moving back to the Seattle area, but she knows that home base will always be there.
"I’m so lucky that I have had the close relationships with my family, growing up around my grandparents, something not a lot of people have," Magill said. "It would have been very comfortable staying in state for school. As a freshman, I wouldn’t have come here to Hawaii, I thought it was too far.
"If I had gone to UW, I wouldn’t have gained the independence because the cul-de-sac would have been right there and so easy to go back to."
Instead, four years later, Magill has the cul-de-sac coming to her.
