Kealakai Bandy '24 Recruiting Profile

Hello! My name is Kealakai Bandy, but most call me Keala (Kay-ah-lah).  I’ve been playing volleyball since middle school and that’s when I discovered why I love this sport so much- strategy of the game, challenges, friendships, travel and amazing experiences,  which is what I appreciate and hope to continue into college.

I understand what it takes to play at the college-level and know the responsibility to represent my school athletically and academically.  I work very hard to juggle all my academic, athletic and personal commitments because I know that is expected of me in college to be successful.   My mom was a swimmer at the University of Washington, and my dad a football player at SMU, so both have prepared me for the demands of being a student-athlete at the college level.

Each year I grow physically and mentally, with last year a big challenge for me after I broke my shoulder my freshman year.  I chose to be thankful that I didn’t need surgery and just worked harder off the court while I healed.  It wasn’t ideal, but I’m back this year stronger and more determined.  I embrace stressful situations and enjoy those moments even more when we achieve success as a team. I credit my coaches who have continued to give me opportunities to ‘step up’ (playing up in age division or playing a non-primary position) which builds my confidence and control in stressful situations.

My goal is to play volleyball in college and further my education in possibly marketing, sports marketing or criminal justice.  For now, I’m focusing on my academics to keep a high GPA and playing volleyball at a high-level in North Texas with Arete Athletics and Wakeland High School.

TECHNICAL STRENGTHS - I’m a strong, smart, strategic and versatile player – working a range of plays during the game as well as versatility for front and back rows.  16s end of season assessment – ball placement to the ground, tooling, tipping, passing and back row attack.

MENTAL STRENGTHS - I handle high-stress situations and my coaches and teammates rely on me to set the tone during the game especially in close games and sets.  My coaches know I can handle stressful situations, heated conversations, and will direct me to lead the team through challenging games.

COMPETITIVE PREPARATION - Playing in North Texas I am consistently training with, and playing very quality, high-level volleyball year-round in club and high school that helps me develop and prepare for college competition.

STUDENT-ATHLETE PREPARATION - My dad played football at SMU and my mom was a swimmer at the Univ of Washington, so both have prepared me for the extra demands of being a student-athlete at the college level.

WORK ETHIC – I step up and really like challenges.  I have always played up an age group and am the youngest player on all my teams, so I’ve had to work extra hard to mature and play at the level my team demands.  Breaking my shoulder my freshman year was also a huge challenge that made me work through disappointment and work much harder to heal, keep my focus and have learned patience.

ADVANCED COLLEGE LEVEL DEVELOPMENT – My new coaches for 17s both played men’s volleyball at Long Beach State and are modeling our team to run like a college program and advance our strategy.  They are working with me specifically on a series of advanced hits for the upcoming season and I’m watching film on improving my deceptive controlled swing down for my line shots.

EXTRA TRAINING – I am working with a trainer on strength & conditioning to improve my flexibility, range of motion, vertical and arm speed.  This is in a small group environment with other D1 athletes in the Dallas area to train together and push each other.

LOYALTY – I started my career at a new club and have been given opportunities to play on other teams each year but choose to stay at Arete to build our team and program.   Each year we improved, attracted better players and happy to see the team that I helped build.