Setting the bar high: Kyndal Williams assists 'Jackets throughout stellar 4-year career

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Thursday, November 12, 2015 Setting the bar high: Kyndal Williams assists ‘Jackets throughout stellar 4-year career

Completing one of the most prolific four-year careers in MSUB history, Yellowjacket senior setter Kyndal Williams has started every match during her four years in the volleyball program and hasn’t missed a set. MSUB SPORTS – There was no clock counting down the minutes and seconds remaining during last Saturday’s volleyball match inside Alterowitz Gym, but everyone in attendance could sense that time was running out for the visiting team. One of the few sports not constricted to the restraints of a clock, an outside factor holding ultimate authority over when play begins and ends, volleyball places the fate of the match solely in the hands used to dig, set, block, and kill the ball. It was this sense of hope that Saint Martin’s University clung to as the match moved deep into the fourth set, but by then it was far too late. The host Montana State University Billings spikers could taste victory, and had burst out to a 2413 lead in the final set after three close affairs to start the match. It was Senior Night for MSUB, and four-year starter Kyndal Williams commenced the evening with the performance of the national anthem after a pregame ceremony.


Now she toed the hardwood in the final home set of her decorated career, assuming her position in front of the net one last time. She knew it had to be her, that the last touch at home in of one of the best careers in MSUB history had to result in a win. This time, the woman who had set up more kills in her career than all but four in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and one at MSUB – 3,883 assists – was going to put one away herself. Spotting a small hole in the middle of the court as SMU’s Hannah Neumann served the ball, Williams knew exactly what she was going to do when the ball came her way. Junior Kimmy Kirk handled the service as she pushed the ball forward, and what Williams did next was a fitting finale inside the gym she had called home for the last four years. Deceiving the Saints’ defense, Williams reached up with only her left hand and pushed the ball over the net and towards the floor. Her head began to turn back towards her teammates before the thud of leather meeting floorboards, an audible cue for the Yellowjackets to converge around Williams in a celebratory embrace. Over her four seasons, Williams has never missed a set, as she has stood tall as a symbol of consistency and putting her teammates into good situations. On Saturday, Williams finished her home career her way: As a winner. COACH, MENTOR, MOTHER Sheila Williams is a self-proclaimed “product of Title IX.” Graduating from Belgrade High School, she was one of the pioneers who pursued athletics into college as she competed in basketball and threw javelin at Bethel College (Minn.). Thirty-two years after graduating, one of Montana’s legendary high school coaches rose to her feet to applaud as she watched her youngest daughter celebrate with her teammates. Sheila and her husband Marvin had been there for almost every one of Williams’s matches at Alterowitz, and the way the final one ended reassured Sheila that a lifetime of coaching her daughter had paid off. “Her volleyball career started with balloons, and ever since she was little she has had some kind of ball in her hands,” Sheila Williams said of Kyndal. “I was pretty blessed that I got to spend a lot of time with her and her sister as a mom and as a coach. That was pretty awesome.” Williams and her older sister, Kelsey, grew up in Helena, Mont., where she and her mother both agree that she was “born in the gym.” “I loved growing up with my parents as coaches,” Williams said, as her father Marvin is also a 30-year high-school coaching veteran. “My sister paved the way for me in terms of athletics, and she set the bar high for me.” The Williams sisters played volleyball together under their mother for two seasons during their prep careers, but it wasn’t until Kyndal’s junior year and Kelsey had shipped off to Lewis-Clark State to play college volleyball that the Bengals captured their first state championship. “Our mom never really pressured us to be involved with volleyball, but it was all we knew and we were just in that environment,” Williams said. “I don’t think I would have it any other way because of the people I have met and the things I have learned. It got me a scholarship into college and I loved it.”


Clockwise from upper left: Williams (5) and teammates after winning the Great Falls Invite her junior year; Williams (back row, far right) and Monica Grimsrud (back row center) their sophomore year at Helena High; Williams (left) with her mother during the state championship run her junior year; Williams (bottom row, center) on her father’s youth basketball team circa fourth grade.

SETTING THE STAGE “The best athlete in my opinion is the setter. It is not an easy position because you are the coach on the floor, and some players take offense to that. She is not always easy to play with, but she has a way to will people to win. She definitely did it for us, and it has been fun to watch her do it collegiately.” – Sheila Williams on her daughter Kyndal. By the time Williams reached her junior year of high school, she had developed into a college-level prospect on the volleyball court. Although that was the ultimate path she would pursue beyond high school, her primary sport up to that point had been basketball. Williams was a standout in hoops for the Bengals as well, and she found that the parallels between point guard and setter were transferrable skills. “I loved having the control aspect of the game, being able to distribute, call plays, and be a scorer,” Williams commented on playing basketball. “It’s the same way in volleyball. I can control the tempo of the game, and I love being able to touch the ball and be a part of every play.” Since she arrived at MSUB, Williams has been a part of literally almost every play, as she started her first match as a freshman and never looked back. Four years later, she has played in 381 of a possible 381 sets over 104 matches. Williams has had the chance to play with several others whose names appear in MSUB’s record books, including 2014 senior Monica Grimsrud who ranks No. 3 in career kills at MSUB (1,361), and Chelsey Walter who is No. 5 in career hitting percentage (.239).


“Setters don’t get a lot of the praise, but that doesn’t bother me,” Williams commented. “If you have three hitters in double-digit kills then you know you did your job. If two or three of them had a really good night, then I am completely satisfied.” Arriving at MSUB at the same time as fourth-year head coach Lisa Axel, it was apparent that Williams was ready to start at the collegiate level immediately. “I knew from the first day of practice Kyndal’s freshman year that she was going to be someone I could rely on to run our offense for four years,” Axel said. “She is a very hard worker and an extremely competitive person on and off the court, which are two main qualities that you look for in a setter. She worked extremely hard to master the tempo of the sets and found ways to connect with middles who ran different tempos.” After Williams’s sophomore season of high school, she stepped away from basketball to make volleyball her sole focus. Though she was confidant in her decision to attend MSUB and compete at the NCAA Division II level, she admits that the transition had its challenges. Between being entrusted with running MSUB’s offense at 18 years old and taking a full course load of 17 credits, Williams had to quickly learn how to budget her time accordingly. “I had seen a high level of play through club volleyball, but coming in here and starting as a freshman was a lot to take on,” Williams said. “I was kind of on overload, but it was really fun learning new things and playing at a high level right away. My teammates and coaches expected a lot from me and they put pressure on me, but it was good pressure. It really helped me become a better player that year.” Williams credits two teammates who she wound up playing three seasons with in helping her adjust to the college game, as Krista Norris and Walter were each sophomores when Williams first suited up in 2012. “Krista is someone I have always looked up to, and I always admired her spirit,” Williams said. “She has a contagious attitude of happiness, and is always exuding positivity. “Going into my junior year is when Chels and I got close, and I learned a lot from her,” Williams continued. “She was really competitive and it was fun to play with her.” As she began to gel with Walter, Norris, and Grimsrud during her junior year, Williams recalled a home match against No. 11 Western Washington University that stands out as one of her proudest moments on the court. Battling the Vikings into a fifth set, Williams and the ‘Jackets held on for a dramatic 15-13 win in the decisive frame, as MSUB had upset one of the top teams in the nation. “Beating Western Washington last year was probably the top moment,” said Williams, who led all players with 55 assists in the match. “Other than some big wins, I’ll just remember all of the good times I had with the team. I have been fortunate in being able to travel so much in my career, and there have been a lot of laughs.” Performances such as Williams’s effort against the top-ranked Vikings did not go unnoticed across the conference, as she was selected as an honorable mention all-GNAC pick as a junior. Her swift rise to prominence within the league has led her to being one of the GNAC’s top setters, as she ranks No. 5 this season in assists per set with 9.84.

Williams (4) reacts with teammates Walter, Mataia Roderick (1), Kimmy Kirk (14) and Norris (16) after defeating No. 11 Western Washington at home.


“Coming in as a freshman I didn’t know what kind of impact I would have on the team and on the program,” Williams said. “Looking back, it is cool that I have gotten to be part of every single match and that I got to play college volleyball. It means a lot to me.” BAG OF TRICKS “As a setter you are not always noticed on the court when you are doing a great job. Everybody talks about the amazing kills or great digs during the match, and a lot of times the setter goes unnoticed. On nights where we might be off a bit on our passing or defense, she will run down balls and still put up a ball that our hitters can terminate. It is no surprise that she has moved into second place for career assists.” – MSUB head coach Lisa Axel on senior setter Kyndal Williams. While Williams has served primarily as floor general during her time at MSUB, the diversity of her skillset ranges far beyond her ability to set to different parts of the court. Time and time-again, Williams has utilized her trademark ‘dump’ kill, catching opponents by surprise and letting her instincts take over like she did most recently against the Saints. “We touched on it in high school a little bit, but it was never really a huge thing,” Williams commented on the dump kill. “When it came to college, I immediately started working on it as a freshman. Coach (Axel) took me under her wing and really emphasized it, because she thought it could be a big part of our offense. It is really fun to get a kill like that, especially in a big moment in a game when the other team isn’t expecting it.” Williams prides herself on being an offensive threat even when she is not hitting the ball, as her ability to keep teams on their toes helps free up space for her hitters as well. She averages almost two kills per match (205 in 104 matches), saving her secret weapon for moments when she can expose an unsuspecting defense and steal a point. The biggest factor in her dump kill is the deception involved, as Williams may spend the majority of the match faking an attack and setting instead to set up the move one time. “If teams key on you more they will be looking for it so I try to fake them out by setting to hitters,” Williams said. “A good time to do it is during a long rally or a free ball, or on a serve-receive when they are struggling to get back to their positions. That’s when I like to do it.”

Williams striking with one of her signature 'dump' kills.

Williams needed no long rally to achieve the feat one last time at home last weekend, as she already had her mind made up before the ball crossed over the net. “That last point I wanted the ball,” Williams said. “That was my intention from the moment they served the ball. Luckily the pass was perfect, and it was just a really fun, sweet way to go out.”


ASSISTING THOSE IN NEED Considering Williams’s career has been built around serving others, it seems a natural fit that she plans to utilize her undergraduate degree in psychiatric rehabilitation in the same manner. Williams is intrigued by the mental health field, with the possibility of becoming a counselor and continuing her involvement with volleyball through coaching striking a chord. She was selected to the academic all-GNAC team as a sophomore and junior, and figures to be a three-time selection as her grades remain high this season. “It would be fun to be a graduate assistant, and coach and go to school at the same time,” Williams commented on her prospects for the next year of her life. “My mom is determined to make me into a coach, and I’m sure that will happen at some point.” A Montanan at heart, Williams hopes to travel and experience a new setting for the first time in her life before eventually returning to her home state. Even if Williams does stray from home momentarily, her contributions to the Yellowjacket program will not soon be forgotten. “Kyndal has been a huge part of laying the foundation for where this program wants to go in the next couple of years,” Axel said. “She has set the bar pretty high for the next setter to step on the court as a Yellowjacket. She will be remembered for her hustle and grit that she has brought to this program, and it will be hard not having her on the court next fall.” Sheila will keep doing her best to extend the Williams family coaching tradition for another generation through her daughter. When asked to reflect on the career she has witnessed Kyndal put together, Sheila is proud of the way it has shaped her daughter in all aspects of her life. “Her ability to play when she is hurting, and not wanting to let people or the team down just speaks a lot for her character,” Sheila said. “That is kind of what we have tried to stress to her over the years, and the fact that she’s been able to do what she has done is amazing.”

Williams with her father Marvin, sister Kelsey, and mother Sheila on Senior Night at MSUB.

--@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--


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