Success in many things can be hard. Participating at a high level in high school sports is a tall order. Playing in collegiate sports is incredibly difficult.

WSU volleyball senior outside hitter Kyra Holt has done all of this and more.

Named MVP of the Bay Shore Athletic League at Albany High School in Albany, California, three times, her successes only grew from there. Holt later received recognition in high school as an Under Armour All-American team honorable mention selection, as well as a North Coast Section Division III MVP and Division III All-State Honors in California.

With such a high success rate, one might venture that Holt has played volleyball competitively from a young age. That is not the case, however. Holt was primarily a basketball player in her youth before her best friend at the time propositioned her to try out for a volleyball team.

“I guess I made the team,” Holt said, recalling the memory.

The success didn’t stop there. In her freshman year with the Cougars, Holt once again lit up both the box score and the trophy case.

Holt was named Pac-12 freshman player of the week a total of four times and helped lead the team in upsets over nationally ranked teams, including No. 4 USC. She topped off the season with Pac-12 All-Freshman team honors and an honorable mention selection for the Pac-12 All-Conference team.

Over the past two seasons, Holt has led the Cougs in kills per set and points per set in each campaign. Both marks put Holt in the top 10 of the conference totals her sophomore year and even with an injury, she placed in the top 75 nationally in her junior year.

Coming off an All-Pac-12 First-Team season, Holt was named a team captain for the second-straight year and was a member of the Pac-12 All-Star team that travelled to China over the summer. Holt most recently was named tournament most valuable player at the Purdue Mortar Board Premier Tournament last weekend.

Holt says that the key for her to maintain the high level of play is to always stay hungry for improvement.

“No one’s perfect, and there’s always something you can get better at,” Holt said.

This mindset is a pivotal aspect for the team as a whole as well. The roster for this year’s team is made up of a good deal of sophomores after Head Coach Jen Greeny brought in seven freshmen last year.

WSU volleyball has immediate team goals for this season, such as earning a berth in the NCAA tournament, but Holt said she has her own long-term goals as well.

Holt said she tries to constantly push the younger group of players as she realizes they are the future of the program, and hopes to leave a legacy after she leaves by helping the growth of the program.

Sophomore middle blocker Taylor Mims thinks Holt is on her way to achieving that goal.

“(Holt) pushes you on and off the court,” Mims said. “In class or even just cleaning your locker or anything like that, she’s just there to push you, and always be there for you.”

Holt realizes that to really leave a legacy, one cannot just be a great player. They need to have an impact off the court as well. 

Greeny raves about Holt’s influence on the court, with both her driven attitude and her ability to communicate for the coaches on the court. Both her leadership on the court and her willingness to ask more of herself and her teammates off it are the result of many years of personal growth.

“Volleyball has matured me,” Holt said. “I’m not the same person as when I came here, and that has a lot to do with the coaches.”

As the season progresses, look for Holt and the Cougars to make a run at the rest of the conference and the top 25 polls.