One second you can be on top of the world and the next second, it can all change.  On August 25, 2018, that was the situation for University of Evansville volleyball player Gabriela Macedo.  Playing in the Leatherneck Invitational in Macomb, Illinois, Macedo and the Purple Aces were battling Western Illinois for the tournament championship.
 
UE opened the weekend with wins over Tennessee Tech and Fairleigh Dickinson, but had one final obstacle standing between them and a perfect weekend.  Facing host WIU, UE dropped the first two sets before battling back with a 27-25 win in the third game.  That win came at a cost.
 
"In the third game, my teammate and I collided while diving for the same ball and it really hurt my elbow, it was the most painful injury ever," Macedo said.  "The trainer took a look at it to see if it was broken before asking if I could play – I said yes."
 
As the match progressed, Macedo continued to battle through pain.  After tying the match with a 25-23 win in the fourth frame, Evansville capped off the comeback with a 15-11 win in the fifth set.  Macedo tallied 26 digs and four service aces in the contest on her way to All-Tournament honors.  One of the best weekends of her career to that point saw her finish with a total of 79 digs in just three matches. 
 
Unfortunately, the first weekend of her season would also be her last.  The following week, Macedo found out that she completely tore her UCL and the decision was made that she would not have surgery on it and would instead let it heal and see where things stood.
 
"I did not have any family here and was by myself, so I decided not to have the surgery," she explained.  "My original plan was to play soccer in my fifth year, but I continued working with volleyball through the season."
 
"As time went by, the volleyball coaching staff asked if I would be interested in playing one more year.  The possibility of redshirting came up and that would give me the chance to rehab my injury.  On senior night of that season, they said they would see me next year.  The rehab took 6-7 months and I was first told that I may not be able to play anymore, but the elbow specialist was impressed with the speed of my recovery."
 
Shortly before Christmas Break in 2018, Macedo took baby steps with her work being limited to passing and touches.  As the spring semester moved along, she was able to practice and get back to normal.  During that time, Fernando Morales was announced as UE's coach for the upcoming season.  Once she made the decision to return, Macedo and her teammates put their full support behind he and his staff.
 
"We decided to make a pact as a team that this year would mark the beginning of a new era for the volleyball program. We said we were going to stick together and make this work.  Coach Fernando made it easier by being a great leader and Coach Melissa (Rabell) was always there for us before he was even here. I think it was time for a change and we couldn't have asked for a better staff to make this happen." Macedo exclaimed.  "We had a lot of people leaving as seniors; with so many young people, we had a chance to establish a new culture if we embrace the same cause. As the oldest one in the team, I had the responsibility to help them and make sure we would stay strong until the end."
 
"It started from little thing such as getting more involved with the other athletes. When they had other games like soccer, we said we were going to watch and support them. There was no better way to get them to come support us as well. It really worked and we had a lot of athletes coming to our games. Baseball guys going crazy on the bleachers supporting us – it was a game changer for us. It gave us a home court advantage."
 
The pact that Macedo and her teammates made together ended up being a turning point.  Evansville went 16-14 on the way to their first berth in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship since 2008.  Two of UE's primary goals entering the season were to finish with at least a .500 mark and make the tournament.  Both were accomplished.
 
Individually, Macedo cemented her spot as the top libero in the MVC.  She set the program record with 704 digs, becoming one of just seven players in league history to notch 700 in a season.  That tally was 5^th in the nation.  The All-MVC Second Team member set the UE single match record with 46 digs on Oct. 25 against Drake.  It was the most by any player in a 5-set match throughout the entire 2019 campaign.  On top of that – Macedo was a 3-time MVC Player of the Week honoree.
 
"This team is special. It was hard to make it happen with six freshmen and a lot of different personalities, but we embraced the same goal and worked hard until the end. I wanted them to have the same experience I got as a freshman when I was in Texas and I'm glad we had such a good season. It is really good to see everything happening.  Our coaching staff was locked in with us; they made it fun and easier for us to accomplish all of it. This team has good chemistry, it's fun to be part of it. Not only the girls; the coaches have our back and we all know it."
 
While nursing her injury in 2018, Macedo assumed off court duties that saw her develop a interest in possibly coaching.  She also worked to motivate and hold her teammates accountable on and off the court.  That continued into the 2019 campaign.  With six freshmen, she made sure to help them in any way possible while helping them adapt to college life.
 
Macedo's interest in volleyball evolved as she advanced through her teenage years.  Growing up in Brazil – a nation that treasures the sport of soccer as much as any on the planet – Macedo played soccer for the majority of her life.  She played volleyball for the first time when she was six years old, but could not continue to play the sport until six years later due to club rules in Brazil.  Eventually, Macedo decided to end her volleyball career and continue with soccer.  She explains how that all changed.
 
"While I was playing soccer in Brazil, I got a call from teammate I played with for my entire life.  She wanted me to join her new club; I said that I was done with volleyball, but the coach was willing to make changes," Macedo explained.  "My mom was all for volleyball but my dad was for soccer.  Mom said it was one tournament, one year and you will be done.  We won the state championship and went to nationals and got second.  I received an offer to come to America at Frank Phillips College to play volleyball.  My parents said this will never happen again and encouraged me to take it."
 
It was a decision that Macedo would not regret.  She called her freshman year one of the best ever and she is having an even better time wrapping up her time at UE.  The Engineering major is set for graduation and is excited about what lies ahead.
 
"I went from soccer to volleyball to soccer and back to volleyball.  I'm very grateful for all of this. Glad I could finish my chapter here in a good page and help my team achieve so many great things this season. It was a really neat experience, now I am ready to graduate and explore new challenges."
 
There are several options that Macedo is looking at as she plans her future.  While she wants to utilize her engineering degree, Macedo is looking at the opportunity to play volleyball or soccer or possibly become a coach.  She is working on making the decision when the time is right.