Sports, Women's Sports, Women's Volleyball

Kashauna Williams sets the bar for greatness

Kashauna Williams’ road to becoming a starting freshman on a Division 1 volleyball team has not been an easy one. It had many stops: through Northridge, Lancaster and Nebraska, before reaching Long Beach. It involved hour-long Uber commutes and rides from family members, spending nights at family member’s houses to get to school and practice. And her journey doesn’t end at Long Beach State, not even close.

Freshman outside hitter Kashauna Williams joined the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team as one of six new incoming freshmen. She immediately made a name for herself, setting a career high during her first game against Portland State with 15 kills. This record has since been broken in her career performance against UCLA, with 16 kills.

She fits right in with the team, playing on par with seasoned veterans and making a name for herself on a young roster. Williams has secured a spot in the starting lineup as an offensive powerhouse, averaging double digit kills in six of the team’s last games. Unlike most of her teammates however, Williams did not grow up playing the game, or even thinking about it until she was in high school when her friends convinced her to try out on a whim.

“Where I was from … I didn’t even think about going to college,” Williams said. “I was just going to school. I didn’t even think I was going to play a sport; schools just started recruiting me.”

She is the first in her family to attend a four-year university, and as the middle child out of six, she sets an example for her younger siblings. Her 13-year-old sister, Kamelia Brown, has been playing volleyball for four years and hopes to follow in her older sister’s footsteps.

Brown talks about her sister with admiration in her voice, reminiscing about their traditional pre-practice cup of noodles and frequent phone calls where she would confide all of her frustrations with volleyball, and learned from her sister’s wisdom.

“She’s the reason why I know how to play volleyball, she taught me how to set and bump,” Brown said. “I learned how to hit because I have a video of her from Long Beach hitting in slow motion and I just watch it all the time.”

But the admiration doesn’t stop within the family. Everyone in the program gives her high regard, remarking on the raw talent Williams possesses. This talent is something head coach Joy McKienzie-Fuerbringer saw in her from a young age, when she recruited Williams to play club volleyball for Mizuno Long Beach, and again to join the Long Beach State team.

“What I saw in Kashauna was just this amazing athlete who could attack and her movement was dynamic, just very raw,” McKienzie-Fuerbringer said. “She’s got a lot of potential; as she improves and progresses she can easily be one of the top attackers in the country. I think she’s got the passion for it.”

Williams however, has her sights set on much higher goals after getting a taste of professional play. After completing her four years at Long Beach, Williams is determined to compete in the Olympics one day, an idea that stemmed from multiple recommendations from her coaches, her family is now in full support of the idea as well.

“I look at her and just the way she is on the court and I could see that she’s going somewhere,” said Williams’ mother, Karlene Barrett. “She’s been athletic ever since she was a little girl. Whether she was running or playing basketball or volleyball, she’s always dominating at it. She’s worked very hard to get where she is. I’m really proud.”

For now, Williams watches her teammates and picks what she can learn from them in order to improve her own game: Hailey Harward’s topspin serve, Tyler Spriggs’ effective communication on-court. She watches, knowing she’s capable of more.

“I’m good now but I want to be even better,” Williams said. “People say I’m good but …  that doesn’t faze me, I want to be better. I plan on being better every day, so that’s my goal, to just get better, every minute, every second.”

Her determination can be seen in her fiery personality which is exhibited on the court, when she’s holding in laughter during a match one second and almost kicking the ball out of frustration the next. Williams’ “do better” attitude has earned her praise among teammates, as they notice the difference that playing with a player like Williams makes.

“She really wants to improve and get better. I’ve never played with someone like her,” Harward said. “She leads by doing rather than vocally …  She’ll hit the ball and be like, ‘See that’s what we need to do.’”

Williams will continue improving everyday, down this road to excellence and maybe one day, an Olympic gold medal.

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