TWHS volleyball player relishes role in life

THE WOODLANDS, Texas- SHHHHH! Everyone keep quiet because I'm about to let you in on The Woodlands high school volleyball team's best keep secret. I know, I know....you've watched or at least have read about every Highlander victory starting last year when they won the Texas 5A state championship to the present team's awesome 26-2, 4-0 record. What else is there to know?

Grey Kennedy is what else there is to know. This team is loaded with talent top to bottom and depending on the day, you're reading a profile on any one of the players on this outstanding team. However, this team is as valuable as every player on it and would not be as successful without the talented Junior Setter.

Kennedy was pretty much born into volleyball as she started playing her favorite sport when she was four years old. Nah, there weren't leagues for four year olds but there might as well have been as her big sister, Lexi, was already playing select ball for Stars Volleyball. What's more is her father was the coach. Grey eventually went on to play seven years of select ball for The Woodlands Wave with complete support from her family.

Grey talks about how proud she is to be from a solid family.

"My family is the best support system I could ever ask for. Whether it is about volleyball or anything in life, I have an unlimited supply of encouragement from my support system that I could ever ask for. Kennedy continued. They always reassure me that I can be and do whatever I want. Whether it is about volleyball or anything in life, I have an unlimited supply of encouragement from my mom, dad, and sister."

Not too dissimilar to two of her teammates, Julia Pasch and Codi Lee who presently get a lot of playing time, both played on last years state championship team and didn't see the floor nearly as much. Grey does not get the lions share of playing time this season, but the very second Coach Leslie Madison puts Kennedy on the floor, she is gaining valuable experience so the future of Highlander volleyball can continue to look bright. Just ask Pasch or Lee how valuable last year's experience was for them. The seeds are being planted all the time for this top notch program.

This is the first year Grey has sat on any bench for an extended amount of time but you'll never see this valuable team player get down.

"Sitting on the bench gives me a new perspective on the game and I know it will help me improve my play. Yes, it's hard sitting out because I want to be on the court contributing by playing, but I know I contribute by support and energy," said Kennedy. "Our team is so supportive of each other and no matter what we are doing we have a great time. I think our chemistry transfers well from off the court to playing because we are always a family and we treat each other with care and respect. We all play for each other and our genuine love of the game. Our coaches are so supportive and teach us much more than just volleyball. They help us to expand our knowledge that we will carry through our lives. Coach Madison is by far one of the most competitive and supportive coaches I have played for. She gives me a different outlook on the game by explaining new kinds of strategy."

The Woodlands is good at every sport so it is no surprise that Grey feels fortunate to be going to a school that annually competes for the Lone Star Cup.

"I love TWHS. It is such an amazing environment to be in, both from a sports and academic standpoint. The teachers are very involved in our lives and are available to help us through anything. It is competitive from sports to academics and it drives us to be better. The Highlanders are filled with fun and spirit. Everything we do is full out and to the extreme and I really love going to school every day."

Every devoted athlete has an inspirational person that has acted as a role model outside of the family and Kennedy is no different.

"My volleyball role model is Ray Gonzalez, my coach at Xtreme Volleyball. He taught me from a very early age how to have a presence on the court and have confidence to lead the team. He spent endless hours with me working on my setting and teaching me his techniques. He taught me that the most important aspect of the game is my heart! To always give everything I have and to leave nothing on the sidelines."

As far as Grey's overall inspiration, she credits two individuals who have been paramount to her upbringing.

"I feel like I am surrounded by role models, but the two at the top of my list are my Grandma and Grandpa Archer. My Grandma is the most positive and loving person in the world, She can make anyone smile on their worst day and is who I aspire to be like when I grow up. My Grandpa would help anyone that needed anything from him. He has taught me to respect everyone and to appreciate everyone as an individual. I try to live by that everyday."

Life isn't all about volleyball for Grey, but she hopes she'll be able to play in college knowing the education part comes first. She goes back and forth between what her major will be in college. Right now, it's between engineering and psychology and she has a wide range of schools she is looking at. UPENN, Dartmouth, University of Missouri Science and Technology and Mississippi State are all on the board, hoping to have the opportunity to add a positive, bright athlete into their population.