Magnolia’s Kayna Anderson looks toward her future

Blue Eagle off to WVU to major in bio-medical engineering

NEW MARTINSVILLE -- Magnolia senior Kayna Anderson had to give up her student-athlete tag a little earlier than she wanted.

Along with being a pole vaulter for the Blue Eagles, Anderson also lost her final year of softball due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

A three-year starting libero for the MHS volleyball team of head coach Pam Chapman, Anderson carries a better than 4.1 GPA and earned second team Class A all-state honors.

"You want to talk about a model student-athlete," said Chapman, who guided the Blue Eagles to the 2018 state title. "She's very intellectual. This young lady is probably one of the hardest working kids we've had in our program

"We've had some others, but she's right up there with everybody who has worked so hard. The kid worked and got better every year. Always at the right place where she needed to be. I'd love to clone her and have her until I'm finished coaching."

Anderson said she thought about going to West Liberty "for biology and something like that and play sports there. It's kind of in the family."

Eldest sister Via competes for the Hilltopper acrobatic and tumbling team.

Following a lot of deep thought, she opted to concentrate just on her studies and head to West Virginia University to major in biomedical engineering.

"The whole reason for WVU was definitely my major," she said. "I thought it was interesting to have a major like that and totally be involved in my major."

Although times have definitely changed in the past month, Anderson is trying to stay focused.

"I like to think I'm a homebody so I'm definitely in my element," she admitted. "Just trying to stay, you know, interested and entertained. It's kind of difficult trying to keep healthy while I'm here.

"It's a good time to catch-up on some school work and everything. Everything is kind of up in the air and you can't do much for graduation and that sort of stuff."

Anderson also stressed her calculus and statistics classes are "kind of hard to keep up on your own and watch videos to try and teach yourself.

"It's definitely hard not to have that immediate feedback when you are trying to learn something. It's just the work you put in is kind of what you are going to get out."

The Blue Eagle, who also spent some time cheering, added she enjoyed competing in all the sports but volleyball ended up being her favorite.

"I grew to love the sport starting in seventh grade to our senior year with a couple ups and downs," said Anderson, who played second base in softball. "We start off the school year with volleyball.

"It kind of has a different team chemistry and by softball we kind of know each other. Softball is a little more relaxed for us and I finish my school year with good times. Volleyball takes a lot of energy and hard work, softball too, and you can have more fun with softball. It's more of a leisurely time."

Winning the state title against rival Tyler Consolidated as a junior was definitely the highlight of her career, but not making it out of sectionals as a senior was a tough pill to swallow.

"I think of that season as just a fun time, a great team aspect out on the court," Anderson continued. "We all kind of knew that ball was going to be on the money and that hit was finishing it and we all had just a great love for each other.

"It was definitely fun for the entire time. When you love the sport and love the team it's a good time and that's generally what that season was."

Despite having first team all-stater Kyndra Pilant and Mady Winters returning for a hopeful repeat, Winters was lost for the season due to injury.

"I mean, of course, the ending of my senior volleyball season was not what we would've hoped," she said with a sigh. "I think back and thinking that was my last high school game.

"If I could change anything it would be that. It's just kind of sad. We were supposed to have multiple senior nights and multiple senior banners and I want that same stuff I had in volleyball."

She was able to play in the North-South all-star volleyball game with Pilant "and that was a great way to have some closure with that sport after a rough season."

Even though she's trying to do the best she can day by day like everyone else, it's not always easy.

"I think it's definitely understandable. It's for the best," Anderson said. "We still hold out hope maybe we get a little bit (of the season), but who knows.

"There's just a lot of things we can't control right now. It's definitely beyond our control and we have to think it was our last season and everything."

A bit of hopeful good news for coach Chapman is there happens to be another Anderson on the way.

"I think she kind of wants to take over after I'm done," Anderson said of sister Jessa. "She'll be in the seventh grade next year so that's when her volleyball starts."

Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com