There is a reason those who play sports in college are called student-athletes and not athlete-students. The primary focus in college is to get a degree, not to win a bunch of games. Volleyball senior Kayla Woodard embodies the term student-athlete as she excels in the classroom and on the court.
Growing up in Arley, Ala., Woodard was known for both her academic and athletic ability. She graduated as the valedictorian of her senior class while playing volleyball, basketball, softball and running track. Woodard led her volleyball team to three consecutive state titles and was named to the all-state team each year. When it came time to choose a college, Woodard was not too excited about going far from home.
“When I came to Mississippi State, I was really torn because I was really a homebody and did not want to move away from home. I loved being around my family and my parents,” Woodard said. “But I kept praying and praying about it, and everything just fell into place to come here. I knew in my heart that this was where I was suppose to be.”
Woodard came to State on an academic scholarship and began her volleyball career as a walk-on. However, this status did not last long as she played in all 29 matches her freshman year and even started 25 of them. She was also named to the SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll.
She became a scholarship player her sophomore year and took over the starting libero position. Her junior year brought more accomplishments as she was ranked sixth in the SEC with 474 digs. Woodard also earned a birth on the SEC Academic Honor Roll for the third straight year.
At this point, Woodard graduated from MSU. After taking three years of school and three summer school semesters, she graduated as a President’s Scholar with a 4.0 GPA and a degree in elementary education. She is currently in graduate school at MSU and in her final season of volleyball.
Woodard’s focus on academic excellence was accompanied by athletic achievements. In the Bulldogs’ second tournament this year, Woodard reached the 1,000-career dig mark. Woodard, who was also named SEC Defensive Player of the Week after that weekend, said she did not know that she was even near 1,000 digs.
“I never really look at the stats. I just know if I’m doing my job or not,” Woodard said. “It’s reassuring that I’m doing my job and my part. That’s my contribution to the team; that’s my job, that’s what I do.”
Woodard also recently passed head coach Jenny Hazelwood for eighth on the MSU all time career digs list. Hazelwood said she was excited to see Woodard’s perseverance pay off.
“From the beginning, Kayla has been an incredibly hard worker. She’s very coachable, she listens, and she takes everything in and is always trying to get better,” Hazelwood said. “She’s someone who is going to work hard to be the best she can be.”
Woodard has also developed into a leader on the court. She has come out of the shell of her usually quiet spirit and become a more vocal leader for the team. After every point, the team meets in the middle, but only Woodard speaks as she encourages the girls and calms them down. Fellow back row player and freshman Iwa Belisario said she looks up to Woodard a lot.
“She’s helped me a whole lot. She talks to me a lot and lets me know what I have to do,” Belisario said. “On the back row, she communicates a lot to let us know what to do right and what we’re doing wrong; she leads by example.”
Senior Ashley Newsome, who has been Woodard’s roommate the past three years, has watched her grow into a great leader for the team.
“She truly cares about the game and her teammates, and she’s really good at leading by example,” Newsome said. “She is a perfect practice player for game-type situations, and when we’re down she’s good at getting us back up.”
Besides all of her athletic accomplishments, Woodard has primarily focused on accelling in the field of academics. Managing a 4.0 GPA and an SEC sport has been a challenge for Woodard, but she has enjoyed it. Woodard said time management has been the key to her success, and that it has gotten easier the more experience she has had.
“I put a lot of stress on myself as far as keeping my grades up and keeping all As because I know that I can do that. I set my goals high. That’s just something that’s always been important to me,” Woodard said. “Even if I have to stay up late and study for a test after four hours of practice, you just have to do that if that’s what you want.”
Hazelwood said she is thankful to have someone like Woodard on the team.
“It’s so nice to have that example for other players and even recruits to see that you can be highly successful in the classroom and on the volleyball court and work really hard at that,” Hazelwood said. “We have really enjoyed having someone like that on our team to set that kind of example.”