Community Christian Driven Athlete of the Month: Kayli Nail – Presented by Landers Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram of Norman

After winning back-to-back Class 3A state championships, Kayli Nail and the Community Christian volleyball team welcomed the challenge of moving up to Class 4A this season.

As a senior and fourth-year captain, Nail helped guide the Royals back to the state tournament, and although they eventually fell in the state semi-finals, she was happy with the way the team responded against tougher competition.

“I think that coming in this year, we knew that it was going to be such a bigger challenge for us,” said Nail, a middle blocker. “There’s a lot of better teams in 4A, a lot of tougher teams that we hadn’t played a lot, so we knew it was going to be difficult. I think we were a little disappointed, especially in the last game, but I think it was good making it to the state tournament and doing as good as we did in 4A.”

Even though the Royals were a veteran team with four seniors and two juniors starting, Nail shone through as a team leader.

“Kayli is an outstanding, versatile player,” said Community Christian coach Stephanie Myrick. “She may not be tall in stature, but she plays ‘big’ in every sense of the word. She is a smart player and as a middle blocker can hit around many blockers. As a setter, Kayi has been a leader on the team since her freshman year. Encouraging her teammates is something she does naturally throughout each match.”

Despite playing the sport since the third grade, Nail has decided that she won’t continue her volleyball career in college, opting instead to attend Oklahoma State University next year and major in biology, with the eventual goal of becoming a physician’s assistant.