Katelynn May, ‘27, an outside hitter for the Redwood varsity volleyball team, has recently achieved something that less than 1% of all high school volleyball players ever end up doing. Katelynn May hit 1000 career volleyball kills.
By: Ben Newell
May averaged around a 43.6% kill percentage across all 4 years of playing so far. May had a 46.8% kill percentage freshman year, 43.6% sophomore year, 42.7% junior year, and 44.5% so far in her senior year.
Katelynn May ’27 says, “Honestly, I was not expecting it at all; it was such a great surprise. I felt really excited, and it was really thoughtful to celebrate that with me.”
May highlights her team, saying that they play really good volleyball and they gave her a lot of great assists, which ultimately ended up giving her that achievement.
May said that the hardest thing about achieving 1000 kills would be staying consistent throughout all of her years.
Redwood volleyball head coach Bryaunea Hall-Allen gives her thoughts on May’s achievement, ” Katelynn hitting her thousand-career kill isn’t a surprise to me, but how early she obtained it was a little bit of a shocker. We actually celebrated her thousand-career kill, but she was well over 1000 at 1050,” said Hall-Allen.
Coach Hall-Allen started working with May when she first started playing volleyball and actually changed her volleyball position when May was playing volleyball in eighth grade.
Hall-Allen said, “It’s so real watching her grow and become this amazing athlete. Katelynn, as an athlete, is a true competitor.”
Hall-Allen notes May’s work ethic during practice and how her competitive nature reminded coach Hall-Allen of herself. Coach Hall-Allen hopes that May can share her competitive edge with her teammates as they continue to progress throughout the season.
In terms of May’s volleyball career after high school, Hall-Allen says, “I know that if she stays on track and continues to want to get better and lead by example, she can play at the highest level possible like she intends to play, but most importantly, I’m always here to support her through that journey of playing.”
Not only is reaching 1000 kills a big deal for Katelynn May herself, but also for her family who supported her every step along the way.
May’s mother, ShaeLee May, shared her thoughts on her daughter’s accomplishment. Mrs. May said, “We were so happy for Katelynn. It’s such a huge accomplishment that’s pretty rare.”
Mrs. May shares that they have invested a lot of time, energy, and money into supporting Katelynn. This money has been spent on camps and club volleyball to help Katelynn become the best athlete she can be at her age.
Mrs. May notes that Katelynn has grown into a very confident volleyball player with a strong understanding of the game. Mrs. May said, “[Katelynn] has learned how to become a versatile player who plays both back row and front row. I feel like as a person she has built confidence and leadership through her years of playing volleyball. She’s learned how to become a really good teammate,” said Mrs. May.
Volleyball has been a big part of the May family as both Katelynn and Andee were involved in Redwood varsity volleyball. Mrs. May said,” Volleyball has given us a great opportunity to spend time as a family. We have traveled so much for club, so many weekends spent together. Overall, it’s brought our family close together as we’ve learned to support each other through all the different things we have going on. 1,000 kills was the cherry on top.”
May is currently at 1,128 kills, and that number will only grow bigger and bigger as she continues to dominate the volleyball scene.
Ben Newell
Ben Newell '27, is a senior here at Redwood High School and has been involved in Redwood media for the past 3 years making it his goal to tell Redwood's story. Newell is a passionate sports writer and social media manager for the Redwood Gigantea. You can reach him at [email protected].
Tags: Ben Newell, katelynn may, redwood high school, redwood journalism, redwood rangers, redwood sports, Redwood volleyball, rhs, visalia ca
