Kiley Roberts '22 Recruiting Profile

To try and communicate all my collegiate goals and aspirations could take forever but if I were to focus on the main ones; I would have to say that I want to continue to strive for excellence in all I do, by sharpening my study habits, growing in my ability to organize and multitask my priorities, and refine my focus.  These goals, along with my support group, will help my reach my academic potential, resulting in top class placements.

I believe I am an excellent candidate and addition to any team for the same reason that I will achieve my academic aspirations, I strive for excellence in all I do.  When I first started playing volleyball I was not as experienced as the rest of my team, so I chose to make up for that by working harder than anyone else on the team and was awarded the most improved player as a result.  I have a steadfast focus that keeps me humble and always striving to be better, often through constructive criticism or feedback.  I believe respect is a foundational pillar to any team, so I can always be counted on to bring a positive energy to the floor and team dynamic.  These, among others, are how I serve my team’s best interests.  Regardless of position or playing time, we as teammates are all here to serve each other, and help make one another better, on and off the court.

What makes me different from other recruits, are the same things that make me unique as an individual.  From a character standpoint, I believe in things like social responsibility, which is why I have volunteered over five hundred hours helping children, other Athletes, and applying my talents and skills in video editing at my church.  I lead the children’s ministry, run an entire Vacation Bible School group of about 20 kids (out of a couple hundred that attend), and I help coach young volleyball players through my club team (as an assistant coach); as well as, for my old high school who was previously utilizing me on the coaching staff, even after I had begun to attend another school.  These values were instilled in me at a young age, because our environment growing up was built on the priority of respect and integrity, which has grown into me becoming a trusted leader at an age much younger than my peers.

My journey to strive for excellence in athletics has set me apart as well.  It has driven my self-discipline, pushing me to adhere to a strict regimen of drills; transfer to a more challenging school both academically and athletically, I started playing sand volleyball to work on my serve receive, I am consistently seeking to improve – often by hounding my coaches for feedback.  I made the decision to, instead of letting stress and pressure weaken me, use it to refine my mental focus, which has led to me to becoming a natural leader for every time I have played for.  This has helped me develop, what I like to call, mental agility.  Instead of responding to pressure, or a negative and discouraging event or outcome, on (or off) the court, with rigid frustration, I attempt to adjust and evolve to whatever the situation requires and use that new strategy to help lead the team to overcome adversity.

 I believe what separates me Academically is that I have always believed in being a Student first and an Athlete second.  While my passion for athletics is greater, my self-discipline and standard of excellence drives me toward academic achievement.  Academic success is an investment into my future and often develops me into a better athlete in ways I often do not expect.