Meet two time volleyball state champion, Kendall Cook

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- The big question mark for the 2014 Lady Highlander volleyball program was how do you replace an All World setter like Courtney Eckenrode. An argument can be made for the setter position as being THE most important position on the floor because every point that is won is almost all the time initiated by the setter.

So, now that the 2014 Lady Highlanders have achieved their improbable second state championship in a row, one must assume the position was filled by a more than capable athlete.

No, really? YES, REALLY! Senior Kendall Cook more than just picked up Courtney's slack, she was the catalyst for the Lady Highlanders. In coming from a family full of winners, it seems as if the water at the Cook household must be from the fountain of winning because...well, because all that family does is win.

Meet two time state champion, Kendall Cook in this week's Woodlands Online profile.

How long have you been playing volleyball and what got you started?

I've been playing since 7th grade but I started playing club in 9th grade. I wanted to play a sport for my middle school and I already played soccer, so I chose volleyball and ended up liking it more than soccer. So, in ninth grade I quit soccer and just played volleyball.

Do you have aspirations to play at the next level?

I want to play in college and I'm looking at SDSU and UT.

What will your major be?

I want to major in broadcasting because I hope to be a sports broadcaster and live in either Texas, Florida or California.

What do you like about The Woodlands high school?

I love TWHS. A lot of people complain about high school but I truly believe some of my best memories have been made at TWHS. Being an athlete here, everyone is always out to beat you. We have a tradition of excellence that began even before I went there. I didn't expect to make varsity freshman or sophomore year because the volleyball program is so competitive. But, I would much rather wait two years and eventually win two state championships than go to a small school where I'd be the star for four years. There's also enough students that almost every sports event is packed and our fans really get into games. Our student body and even our principal are very supportive.

How would you describe this school year's state championship team?

Our team this year was based on chemistry. We were all literally best friends, which helped on and off the court. We never got upset with each other during games or yelled when someone messed up. We always had a positive attitude. Even outside of volleyball, we hung out with each other and were truly best friends. I enjoyed being a Lady Highlander not only for what we achieved, but how we were a family. My favorite memories were at the Pearland tournament where I got to our room with Julia Pasch. We did our ice bucket challenge video there. It was so funny! Our coaches are amazing too. They not only give good coaching advice, but teach us to be better people. Coach Lucas is mentally one of the strongest people I know and coach Madison is physically the strongest, too! Unlike other coaches, no one feels uncomfortable talking to them about high school drama or stuff that goes on outside of volleyball. The whole team would just go into their hotel room and talk about random stuff and before we knew it, it'd be dinner time! It's hard to find a coach you can relate to and trust on and off the court, and I believe that was a huge component to our success these past two years.

What activities are you involved in outside of volleyball and away from school?

Outside of school volleyball, I play volleyball...(laughter). It never ends. As soon as we won state, club volleyball started the very next week so I don't really get a break. But, I don't mind. If I go on to play at the collegiate level, I have to get used to a schedule like this.

Who is your volleyball role model?

Courtney Eckenrode. She was on varsity for four years at TWHS and to this day, she has been the best setter I've ever seen. She has such soft hands and always puts the ball in the right place, not to mention is really good at defense and serving. She was a great role model for when I was a junior and I'm honored to have received MVP at the State Tournament just like she did.

Describe how your family has been so supportive.

My family is amazing, I'm so blessed to have so many older siblings to look up to. Although they've all had their share of state championships at The Woodlands, in no way did I feel pressure to achieve as much as they did. So, the fact that we won state twice was just icing on the Cook family cakes. My siblings live all over the country so it's not like they can come to every game but they are still very supportive. My mom has been my photographer and number 1 fan and practically my social media agent for the past four years so I'm sure I'll miss that a ton next year.

The atmosphere growing up sure was crazy, but I never felt like the odd one out, ya know. Being the youngest, it was sad to see my older siblings leave and its a lot different to be the only child now, so I'm really excited for college!

When you are trying to evaluate an athlete, you obviously look at the skill set first. It doesn't stop there by any means though. Is the athlete put together well mentally or is she weak upstairs? During the state championship weekend in Garland, Cook made an insane dig where she face-planted and barely got her hand under the ball. Because of her herculean effort, the ball was able to be hit by a teammate to the other side of the net. One problem...the referee felt otherwise. It was obvious to knowledgeable volleyball people that it was a righteous dig. Cook could have sulked and let it ruin her game and therefore the team's game. However, she frowned, looked at Coach Madison and got the "I know" look, and she carried on thinking about what's next.

You might think that a team that has won two large school state championships in a row might be filled with athletes that are a bit full of themselves. Not so at all and Cook is an excellent example of how that statement is completely false. Fellow student and lacrosse star as well as big time TWHS volleyball fan, Gus Pinsoneault verifies that point.

"All of the players on the volleyball team are level headed,"Pinsoneault boasted. "Honestly, if you didn't know any of them were players, you'd never find out because all of the players including Kendall are so good natured. She's so grounded."

This just in...If you want to win a state championship, make the sure the players are the total package athletically AND socially. Oh, and it wouldn't hurt to have a Kendall Cook clone on your side.