Freeman’s Haynes Grateful for Opportunity to Play at Omaha
In this day and age where it’s become common for eighth and ninth graders to make their college commitments, you simply never see a player patiently wait until May of their senior year to commit to make sure they find…
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Continue ReadingIn this day and age where it’s become common for eighth and ninth graders to make their college commitments, you simply never see a player patiently wait until May of their senior year to commit to make sure they find the perfect fit.
Well, I guess it never happens because that’s exactly what Freeman senior Kayla Haynes did and it paid off for her earlier this month when her committed to Omaha.
Haynes has easy athleticism as a 6-foot outside hitter who has only begun to scratch the surface of what she is capable of. Her athleticism made her an intriguing prospect for some larger schools and made smaller schools salivate for her services. For a while, though, Haynes said she wasn’t sure playing in college was in her future.
“Honestly I had gone back and forth for a long time about wanting to play or not so I didn’t know until later on that I really did want to play,” Haynes said. “At first, finding the right school was the most important part, I wanted to go somewhere I felt like I was at home. I had a visit in the winter (to Omaha) and fell in love right away! When volleyball in high school ended I knew that I wanted to continue playing volleyball in college. Before my senior year though, I had my mind set on not playing but I realized I couldn’t pass up the opportunity if I got the chance to play somewhere I loved.”
That opportunity manifested itself when Omaha hired Matt Buttermore as its new coach this spring.
“It was definitely a lot harder with the coach change but I think coach Buttermore is a great coach and I’m so glad I get to play for him,” Haynes said.
Haynes had 448 kills and 88 blocks this past season for Freeman, but what she said she is hoping most to bring to the Omaha program are the things that don’t show up on a stat sheet.
“I am a huge team player. I just want to make my teammates and myself better because I love the sport so much,” Haynes said. “I will contribute in places where I’m needed and I’m so happy about that!
“I have always known that I want to stay in Nebraska but I didn’t want to stay too close but not too far and I think Omaha is the perfect place for me!”