Nash: Radford’s next woman up
Published 9:43 pm Wednesday, September 23, 2015
The Radford University girls’ volleyball program and Highlander fans became a little better acquainted last weekend with what former Nansemond-Suffolk Academy star Kaylor Nash is capable of.
Radford University sophomore Kaylor Nash of Suffolk has made an impact on the Highlanders as a defensive specialist and most recently as a surprise setter. She has taken over the offensive role for now due to injuries on the team. (Radford University Athletics)
She has been demonstrating her defensive skills with the Highlanders since her freshman year in 2014, but when both of the team’s setters were sidelined recently with injuries, she suddenly became the go-to girl on the roster to play setter.
“I am the only one on the team that has a small amount of setting experience,” Nash said. “I think I spent one game in high school, maybe, and a day of club tournament. So, (coach Marci) Jenkins made me a setter. There was nothing really else we could do, so I just had to step up.”
And step up she did, earning a spot on the all-tournament team after recording 140 assists to go with 42 digs and nine kills across three matches during the Blue/Gold Invitational in Toledo, Ohio on Sept. 18 and 19.
“I was impressed with myself,” Nash said. “I didn’t think I would do that well, but yeah, I think I did OK. I set hittable balls. They weren’t amazing sets that all my hitters were used to, and I had to slow down the tempo a little bit, but I put up hittable balls and balls that they could put away.”
The Highlanders went 1-2 during the invitational, finishing strong with a 27-25, 25-23, 26-24 victory over Robert Morris University. In that match, Nash had a career-high 56 assists to go with nine digs.
Her performance in the tournament came with only four hours of setting practice.
Nansemond-Suffolk coach Robyn Ross’ past experience with Nash left her unsurprised by Nash’s ability to play the setter position so well on such short notice.
“I’ve never seen a player or coached a player that could literally play at every position that you would ask her to or tell her to,” Ross said. “As soon as you explained how to do something, she just can do it.”
Ross noted the mental part of being setter was probably harder for Nash than anything else.
“To have that kind of responsibility in a high school match is one thing, but to be given basically the quarterback responsibility in a Division I setting is a completely different ball game,” she said. “So the fact that she was able to mentally do as well as she did, I thought, was awesome.”
Radford coach Marci Jenkins said she thought Nash did a great job under the less-than-ideal circumstances.
“I was definitely proud of how she was able to just kind of step into the role and kind of embrace it because she knew she was our only option,” Jenkins said.
With the strong possibility she will stay at setter for now, Nash is applying to her setting duties her trademark work ethic that has impressed Jenkins since 2014.
On Friday, Radford (7-6) hosts Liberty University, the Highlanders’ conference opener.
