From student to teacher, Nation Ford senior Kennedy Martin has the Falcons in a familiar position heading into the playoffs.
As a freshman, Martin, 17, was part of the Falcons last state championship volleyball team. She would like to bookend her prep career come Nov. 5 with another state championship.
When she was a freshman, Martin was under the wing of Sophie Fischer, who also went on to win a national championship with the University of Kentucky volleyball team. Now Martin is in the same leadership position and has the Falcons poised for another playoff run as they sit at 27-9-1 on the season and open the playoffs today against Spring Valley.
Despite being rumored to be 6’7” or taller, the outside hitter is officially 6’6” and knew at an early age that volleyball was going to be the sport for her. She started in third grade with summer camps and started playing club volleyball in fifth grade.
“I have always been taller than people my age,” she said. “Once I started hitting above six foot it was between basketball and volleyball and I had to make that decision in seventh grade because they were overlapping a lot.”
Martin said basketball didn’t feel like her game and she didn’t like it as much as volleyball.
“It wasn’t me,” she said. “I loved being on the court in volleyball and I felt like I was getting better. I felt like my potential was high in that.”
Volleyball won out for Martin. She said she enjoys the mental aspect of the game.
“I feel like it is a very mentality driven sport,” she said. “I like being able to control my side of the court.”
For Martin, that potential continues to rise as she will be graduating early and come January will be heading off to the University of Florida to play. With her talent and height, there was no issue of Martin getting colleges attention, but it was the Sunshine State that stood out for her.
“I took four official visits and Florida was my last one,” she said. “I had five visits scheduled, but Florida was my fourth one and I just committed after I went on that visit. Basically, they had been watching me for a long time. I knew they saw my potential and believed in me. I knew they would put their best effort into me being the best player I could be. When I stepped on campus, I really fell in love with the school. The girls on the team were so welcoming. It was like I was already a teammate instead of a recruit they were trying to convince to come to their school.”
The Gators didn’t sink their jaws into her right way. She still had to make the choice between them and Ohio State University. She also had official visits to Northwestern, Southern Cal and she had planned on visiting Penn State, but canceled that trip after committing to Florida.
“I liked the school more for Florida,” she said. “It felt easier to commit there. There would have been a lot of uncertainty had I committed to Ohio State. There wasn’t a single reason why I shouldn’t (commit to Florida). I am still falling more in love with the schools and the coaches. I hold so much excitement for it.”
Nation Ford head volleyball coach Craig Brown said he has no doubt that Martin will be successful in Gainesville.
“It is a great program,” he said. “She feels very comfortable with her class going in there and her coaches. That is a big part of it. That is your family for four years.”
Before she departs for Gainesville, Martin wants to finish her high school career on a high note.
“I don’t think we have reached our peak yet as a team because we are still trying new things and new lineups,” she said. “Each time we try a new lineup we find something else we like that really helps our strategy as a team. We have a lot of different lineups set for how other teams play offense.”
Martin said it would mean the world to win a state title.
“I won it my freshman year and obviously Sophie was a big leader on that team,” she said. “I would like to be in her place this time. I felt like I was following her lead most of the time. It would be cool to be on the opposite side of that. I try my best to be a leader all the time on the court and off the court.”
And that is exactly what Martin has become, transitioning from the young freshman to the senior leader.
“She has stepped into those shoes from day one,” Brown said. “She is a great teammate. She accepts anyone who steps on that court. She is willing them to do well. She wants them to do well. Sophie was the same way and I think she learned from that. There is so many similarities between them.”
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
