Scarlet Spotlight on Kyra Thompson
Nov 16 | Women's Volleyball
By: Valerie Valentine
Having just wrapped up their season, the Rutgers University volleyball team is looking towards the promise of tomorrow. Sophomore Kyra Thompson (Tucson, Ariz.) just may be that promise.
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Kyra Thompson |
Coming out of Catalina Foothills High School, Thompson was heavily recruited and was certain that her future days held good times on the court. The team was certain that they had found someone who could make an immediate impact. Instead, due to injury, she was forced to red-shirt last season and spent the beginning of this season on the sideline. Never missing a beat, Thompson assumed the role of a vocal leader.
"Naturally, I have leadership qualities but that doesn't necessarily mean that I have to be called the leader," said Thompson. "I will be that regardless of any title that I have, just because I like to see everybody do better. Anything I can do to help that, I'll do it."
Some may have considered her role on the sideline to be as important as her potential on the court. She instilled a sense of unity and commitment among her teammates knowing that having everyone on the same page makes progress all the more likely.
Thompson also makes it very clear that she is more than just an athlete, quoting the philosophy of the athletic program, "I'm a person first, then a student, then an athlete", crediting that same philosophy as being a large factor in her ultimate decision to come to Rutgers.
For some, the demands of being an athlete could prove to be too much, but Thompson has also chosen to take on another heavy demand on her time, studying engineering. When asked about balancing the two, she credits head coach Orlando Gonzalez who recognizes that "studies come first, regardless."
If you are looking for Thompson and you've already checked the gym and the engineering classrooms and you can't seem to find her, check out an Athletes in Action meeting. Chances are she will be there. According to Thompson, AIA has helped her greatly during her time here at Rutgers.
"Athletes in Action taught me about prioritizing your sport and bringing your faith into your sport," explained Thompson. "There is no way I would have been able to make it through the season without that whole preparation.
Balance is a tremendous part of being a student athlete. It has been a process but Thompson is finding ways of taking her own positives and sharing them with her teammates, and people are taking notice.
"I think Kyra is a tremendously stable force for the team, she is a very competitive person, she understands how to handle pressure in competitive situations and she is a very stable well-spoken leader for the team," said Gonzalez of the impact that Thompson has made.
"I think when you have a young group like we do, having that kind of person on the court is almost more valuable than her play. I noticed right out of the gate that this kid wasn't your normal freshman. She had a maturity about her and a focus about her that was not typical of most freshmen; she's displayed that ever since"
Making her return to the court this season, Thompson says that she is trying to get her confidence back. One might assume that she has found it. She has put up some impressive stats this season considering the fact that she sat out the beginning portion of the year. Thompson leads the team in kills with 184 and is second in digs with a 154.
Thompson and her team are both young and have exponential room to grow. Gonzalez believes that she is going to be the player that gets everyone on board and gets everyone going in the right direction and keeps the team focused on the task which is to make the conference tournament and have onlookers noticing RU for its volleyball.
As Thompson becomes healthier and gets her rhythm back with the game after taking last year off, her ability to lead will make the program that much better going forward.
