Former Nansemond-Suffolk Academy volleyball standout Kaylor Nash is preparing for her senior year at Radford University and is hoping to make it her best season yet.

Radford had an outstanding season last year, going 24-6 and winning the Big South Conference. Nash was a big part of that, starting in 27 of the 30 games played. In her junior season, she totaled 329 digs, which was good for third best on the team. In 20 of the games, she had double-figure digs.

As with most senior seasons for student-athletes, the feeling is bittersweet. Nash said she is having mixed emotions.

“I’m really excited about my senior year and to have the opportunity to play this last year,” she said. “I’m also a little sad for the same reasons. It’s been my life for over seven years now. So, for this to be the last year is exciting but sad as well.”

Personally, Nash felt good about her performance during her junior season. She felt her defense and passing improved. However, she also wants to improve on serving for her senior year. She didn’t produce as many points off of her serves as she would liked last year. For this season, she wants her serves to be better while she also fine-tunes her passing and defense by focusing on her platform work and moving her feet.

As she reflects on her college career up to this point, Nash is grateful to have had the chance to play past high school, especially on the NCAA Division I level.

“I feel blessed for a chance to have played college volleyball,” Nash said. “It has taught me more than I thought it would. I have had great teammates that have become really good friends.”

At NSA, Nash was one of the most dominant volleyball players in the school’s history. She was a two-time conference and state Player of the Year. Nash was also the Suffolk News-Herald/Duke Automotive Fall Female Athlete of the Year in 2013. She held the record for the most digs at NSA before it was broken by Logan Harrell in 2016.

As a defensive specialist in college, Nash feels she has become an even better defensive player. Of course, during her freshman year, she had a bit of trouble adjusting to Division I volleyball speed. She worked hard on her defense so that she could earn more time to help her team.

Thought she has yet to make an all-conference team in college, she is hoping that can change this year.

“It’s always been a goal of mine to make the Big South team,” she said. “Only playing three rotations makes it harder to get recognized, but it is a goal of mine.”

As a senior, Nash shouldn’t have an issue stepping into a leadership role. Because of the lack of seniors Radford had last year, she played a major role in helping lead her team. Next spring, Nash will be getting a degree in sports medicine. She plans to attend physical therapy school following graduation.