When Indiana University-Kokomo went to eLearning this spring because of COVID-19, Kendal Williams and her father built a tall wooden board to stand against a wall so she and her sister Erin could set volleyballs.
The apparatus served as a stand-in through the summer until Kendal could return to Kokomo with her teammates. When they did return, they put together an 18-0 fall season and another River States Conference championship.
“You had to do at-home workouts and body weight workouts,” said Kendal, a junior from Columbus East. “You had to get touches on the ball. You have to make some things up to play volleyball by yourself for a couple of months.”
That meant playing a lot of pepper with Erin, a sophomore setter on the JV team at East.
“We definitely used each other,” Kendal said. “That was definitely a big help because we had somebody to pepper back and forth with.”
The Cougars dropped only three sets during the season.
“I’m very happy with how our season went this year,” Kendal said. “It has definitely been a different year. It’s been very challenging to be in quarantine and then have games canceled because the other team is in quarantine. We had to play it by ear and take it day by day. We had to adapt and overcome, and this year, we’ve definitely overcome a lot of challenges that we’ve faced.”
After playing as the second setter in a 6-2 offense all of her freshman and the first half of her sophomore years, Kendal finished her sophomore season as the main setter. This year, she was back to the second setter to freshman Kaley Lyons and finished second on the team with 145 assists.
“I took it very well,” Williams said. “I think that at IU-K, we’ve bred a very good family relationship as a team, so we’re very united. Having a freshman come in and push me to be better than I’ve ever been, I’ve been grateful for it.”
IU-Kokomo coach Heather Hayes has seen Kendal’s growth as well.
“While I have certainly seen her volleyball skills grow during her career, I think what is best about Kendal is that she is just a great teammate,” Hayes said. “She is positive and uplifting. She makes everyone feel included. She works hard to grow as a player and sets an example for others.”
Although the Cougars have won the River States title all three years that Williams has been there, this one had a much different feel. Their spring season was canceled midway through, and this fall they played 16 games against conference teams and only two against non-conference opponents. The IU-Kokomo team wore masks throughout every practice and contest.
The NAIA Volleyball National Championship Tournament has been postponed until April because of the pandemic and the Cougars will play some non-conference teams in the spring to prepare them for the event.
“It was a complete 360,” Williams said. “It was definitely different this year, and it has been probably the most challenging year. It definitely has been mentally challenging as well as physically challenging when you can’t get in the gym. You kind of have to figure things out on your own. Going through quarantine and being at home has definitely been different this year.”
A nursing major, Kendal has been able to get some experience this spring and fall doing clinicals at hospitals in Kokomo and Carmel.
“Kendal is such a hardworking student-athlete,” Hayes said. “She works hard in the classroom and is always trying to make up any practices missed due to her nursing clinicals.”
Kendal is hoping her senior year will go a little smoother than the past one did.
“I’m looking forward to my senior year, hoping some things will be slightly back to normal for next fall,” Williams said. “But I’m ready for whatever they have to throw at us.”
