Khiya Cottle '26 Recruiting Profile

I am Khiya Cottle - outside, middle, and right side hitter - with my primary positions being middle and outside. I was born and raised in Virginia, and am the youngest sibling of 4; I’m an aunt to 9 children. I live on a farm and love the outdoors. Life is exciting to me and I love to meet new people and new challenges. I am very blessed to have the love of family and friendship and I always try to carry that forward.

The one thing I love most, in the growth of my play and hard work in volleyball, is the support that I receive from my family and friends! My family has always been a big drive in my life that pushes me to never give up on what I love. I’ve always been one of the most athletic kids in my family, always wanting to try new things and get involved. As I have grown I have participated in multiple sports such as Softball, Track, Swim, and of course Volleyball. Out of all of these sports, volleyball has been the one I grew to love the most, while in my off season I still participate in track and swim to keep my body strong and in shape. I am a big competitor and I will push through any struggle to grow and be better in what I love, and I won’t give up in the sport when things get hard for me.

My volleyball career started in 2018, when I was introduced to sport by two mentors who are dear to my life! Coach Baker and Coach Bunting repeatedly ask when I was in grade school, if I wanted to play volleyball. I was always taller than most kids at that time, but I always said no. Middle school came along and they asked that I come to tryouts and give it a try, so I did. After some time, I started to really enjoy the sport and grew to love it! I knew I wanted in my daily life, so I got involved in camps, clinics, club, school, and even beach – growing to where I am today.

As middle school ended, I moved to the town of my high school. Starting as a new student in a new community, I knew volleyball tryouts were going to be a challenge. Too my surprise, I was chosen to play varsity in my freshman year, and the only 9^th grader on that team. The season went well, as we made it to Regionals, taking a devastating loss that closed the season for my 9^th grade year. While my sophomore season started strong, we faced multiple ups and downs through injuries sustained by key players, myself included. We all played thru and our team made it to the state championships; we did lose and take silver, but it was a huge accomplishment for the team, the town, and our school.

As time has passed I’ve fallen in love with the sport, the lifestyle and future thoughts of volleyball in my adult life. I continue to play all year, as much as I can to stay involved and grow. Sadly, the ankle injury I sustained on October28th, driving through districts, regionals and States directly into travel season, finally said enough and forced me to take time down. My orthopedic put me in a boot for 5 weeks, followed with PT and strength training to assure the healing would match my desire to continue to play and grow. I am using this time to heal, strengthen, condition my mind and body, research colleges, degrees and my dreams for the future to become a healthier me both physically and mentally.

College, growth, experience and competition – competing at a Division I or Division II Level – allows me to take this dream to the next level. My hope is to make an impact every step of the way, giving back what has been blessed to me.