Looking Back on the Players that Defined the Class of 2019: Kyla Swanson
We are in the midst of a time for all the graduation ceremonies and parties for the Class of 2019. I personally realize that not every athlete/family/team/coach, et al, will like me, my opinions, my work and my opinions and…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWe are in the midst of a time for all the graduation ceremonies and parties for the Class of 2019.
I personally realize that not every athlete/family/team/coach, et al, will like me, my opinions, my work and my opinions and that’s OK. But, the reality is that the only reason I do what I do is because of the love and appreciation of the sport of volleyball in the state of Nebraska and the athletes/families/teams/coaches that make it such a great sport.
I become personally attached to so many people every year, that I truly feel joy for them when they succeed, pain for them when they fall and sadness for myself when their playing days are over. This is truly a labor of love for me.
I’m not going to lie, there will always be a special place in my heart for the Class of 2019 and the athletes in it. My youngest daughter is a member of the Class of 2019, so I’ve been watching this group of kids since they were literally 10-12 years old. In a lot of ways, a number of the kids and families have become extended members of my family and I am grateful for the relationships and experiences we’ve shared.
So, over the next few weeks I will take a walk down memory lane when talking about some of the players from the Class of 2019 and the lasting impact they made on the sport in Nebraska. This isn’t about what stats a player had, what records they broke or any of that. It’s about the legacy they leave as high school players – which goes far beyond numbers.
Kyla Swanson – Minden/Wahoo/VCNebraska – committed to Illinois
I can still clearly recall the first time I ever saw Swanson play volleyball. It was the summer of 2015 and Swanson was about to start her freshman season at Minden. I had heard whispers of the fact that the Whippets had a blossoming star coming in, then I received a message telling me to be on the lookout for Kyla Swanson at a team camp that was co-hosted by Omaha and Creighton at the Convention Center. So, I looked for her and found her.
My first impression: Man is she tall.
My second impression: Man is she raw as the day is long.
But, you could see it from the outset that there was athleticism in that 6’3 frame. She was always an intriguing prospect, but had a long ways to go. During her freshman and sophomore seasons, Swanson was slowed a little by some injuries, but was still on her way to being dominant, totaling 433 kills and 129 blocks in two seasons.
Between her sophomore and junior seasons, Swanson’s father started a new job in Wahoo and the family moved there. That turned the Warriors into a two-time state championship team after she joined an already strong nucleus for the Warriors. It also accelerated Swanson’s career by allowing her to compete at a very competitive level during the club season at VCNebraska.
That first summer at VCNebraska, before she would begin her Wahoo career, Swanson literally blew up on the recruiting scene. One current Division I head coach told me at the time that Swanson’s performance at the AAU National Championships was so impressive that she was almost certain to be committing to a power Division I conference very soon.
Omaha had been all over her from a recruiting standpoint and Creighton was very intrigued, as were several other Division I programs, but ultimately Illinois won out for her services.
Over the last two years, I would have to say I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so much improvement in a player’s overall game as what Swanson has shown. She has gotten so much stronger physically and her confidence just seems to grow constantly – as it should.
But, the really cool thing that I have especially enjoyed about Swanson is that her humbleness and humility are about as rare as her height is. She’s exactly what you would think someone from Minden or Wahoo would be like – hard working, unassuming, blue collar, salt-of-the-earth, etc.
Swanson is also an incredible reminder that not every big-time player has to start playing club volleyball at the age of 10, or that you can’t be a multi-sport athlete and that even if you aren’t among the top prospects in the state as a freshman or sophomore, hard work and a desire to keep improve can definitely get you there.
I am definitely going to miss watching Kyla play. By all accounts she’s an outstanding young woman and I’ve really enjoyed the little that I’ve gotten to know her family. Just good ol’ Nebraska people the Swansons are. It might not be politically correct of me to say that I’m going to be rooting for the Illinois volleyball team starting this fall, but it would be impossible to not want great things for Swanson.
Thank you, Kyla, for what you’ve meant to the sport of volleyball in Nebraska during your career and be proud of what you have accomplished and how you did it!