ELON, N.C. – When
Kyla Johnson steps onto the floor for the Elon University volleyball team, the energy she provides on the court is unmatched.
That's because Johnson was born with a passion for the Phoenix. Her father, Ron Johnson '97, played football for the maroon and gold, and she is following in his athletic footsteps.
"I always wanted to come to Elon," Johnson said. "Elon's always been in our family, especially because of my dad, so I knew I wanted to come here."
Johnson and her family spent a lot of time visiting Elon's campus, and she said with each visit, she fell more and more in love with the school.
"I remember as a little kid, we would always come for the Homecoming events and I'd see campus and I was like, 'Oh, it's another college' but as I kept growing up, I was like, 'Wow, I really like it here and I still want to come spend the next four years here,'" Johnson said.
Johnson initially enrolled at Elon prior to committing to playing volleyball. After getting in contact with the coaching staff and completing an official visit, she was able to commit to the team.
Head coach Mary Tendler said that because the team had uncertainty at middle blocker due to lingering injuries, the coaching staff decided to look for another freshman to fit the position. Although Johnson had a later recruitment process, Tendler said she has been an excellent addition to the roster.
"She's someone we didn't know what to expect when she got here because we didn't watch her a whole lot," Tendler said. "We were pleasantly surprised, and to think about her future and what she's going to be able to accomplish through her time here is really exciting."
Growing up, Johnson was always able to turn to her father for support or any athletic advice she needed. Johnson said her father always spoke highly about his time playing football with the Phoenix, all the more reason for her to make the easy decision to don the maroon and gold herself.
"He always called Elon family and says it's family oriented, and anyone you'll meet here, you'll have lifelong friends, which I've realized now," Johnson said.
Tendler said Johnson's family tie to school is very unique, but she loves watching the passion Johnson is able to bring as a second-generation Elon student-athlete.
"I'm just so happy that her dad played and put the Elon uniform on and now she gets the chance to do it and represent the Phoenix," Tendler said. "When you have players who really want to be at a school, they're going to be happier, perform better and make the team better."
In her freshman season with the Phoenix, Johnson recorded 50 kills and 42 blocks. She made 10 starts but notably came off the bench providing immense spark the Phoenix needed to finish out sets.
"She's just such a dynamic player," Tendler said. "She comes into matches and turns the match around just because of how active she is. She's still learning the game as far as going against some teams that do a little bit more complicated stuff, but she comes in and she's ready to go. She just seems to make plays right away and you can hear the whole bench get excited when she's in there and it changes the momentum."
Although the 2023 season has come to a close for the Phoenix, the future looks bright. Johnson is one of six members of the freshman core looking to make an even bigger impact on the court next season.
"We know that starting with the young team is a little bit hard, but we know in the future it is going to be really, really good for us," Johnson said. "Especially since there's so many of us that we're all building together and we're excited for it."
'Rising Phoenix' is a new student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on Twitter (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Jacob Kisamore at jkisamore@elon.edu.
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