Change for a season

Kayla Mainer is running a self-check.

The former West Valley High School volleyball standout spent last season as a redshirt freshman at Eastern Washington University, watching while the Eagles won a third consecutive Big Sky Conference regular season championship – and fell short of reaching the NCAA tournament by losing in the championship game of the Big Sky Tournament.

Redshirts can practice with the team, but save a year of eligibility by not playing in games.

While she still considers herself a part of the EWU volleyball family, Mainer opted to check her progress by playing this season at North Idaho College.

“I just needed to see what I can do on the court at this level,” she explained. “I talked with (EWU coach) Wade Benson and looked at what the situation would be if I stayed there this season. I’d be playing, but not a whole lot. (Coach) Bret Taylor wants me on the floor to lead this team at North Idaho. He’s trying to build a program modeled on what Eastern is doing, so he does a lot of the same things. With a young team this year, he wants me to be a leader on the floor.

“That appeals to me. And they know that it’s a one-time thing. As soon as the season is over, I will transfer back to Eastern.”

Mainer said she has the approval and support from all parties concerned and looks forward to the chance to play and take advantage of what she learned last season.

“Redshirting was a great experience for me,” she said. “It made me realize one or two things. First, that I wasn’t ready for the level of play that I was at, and that I needed the experience of playing with those girls – and against them – in order to better my skills and my knowledge of the game.

“I was disappointed, obviously, about redshirting. I wanted to be in there because that’s what I was trained to do. That was hard. But it was an even better opportunity because I was able to observe some of the best and be along side them and be moral support and to push them to be better players. That was one of the greatest joys of being a redshirt. You have your foot in the door more than if you were not redshirting and just sitting on the bench.”

The adjustment from high school to college can be a shock. An athlete can go from being standout to a stand-by; from never leaving the court to rarely seeing it.

Mainer knew EWU was a top-level program – watching the Eagles fall just short of reaching the NCAA tournament the two seasons before she arrived. And she knew she had sought out the best competition to play against throughout her high school and club volleyball careers.

Still, playing at EWU required an adjustment.

“I mentally prepared myself because I knew how good that collegiate program was,” she said. “I knew I was going to get a million things out of the season, even if I redshirted. And it was easier to be a redshirt instead of sitting on the bench hoping to get into a game as a freshman – and not getting into a game.

“Every experience for them was an experience for us as redshirts. I watched how hard even the top players worked. For a long time, whatever I was able to do on the volleyball court was good enough. I got by on my natural ability. At the college level, that’s not good enough. Sure, I can make a hit, but it can always be better – even if it’s only six inches one way or the other.”

Mainer said she learned a great deal from last year’s senior class at EWU – particular four-year letter winners Keva Sonderen and Megan Kitterman.

“Last year’s seniors did a great job of involving everyone and setting a high standard for what Eastern volleyball was all about,” Mainer said. “I learned so much by watching them.”

Those lessons will form the backbone of what Mainer will attempt to do this year at North Idaho. Mainer said how she handles the situation at North Idaho, whether or not she can rise to the challenge of leading the junior college Cardinals, will allow her to shape her goals for her remaining three years eligibility.

“This is a good, up-and-coming program,” she said. “There are a lot of good, young players coming in – some that I remember from the Greater Spokane League. This can be a very good team.”

Joining Mainer at NIC will be University standout Daedre Mendenhall as well as Mead setter Lacey Anderson and Colville hitter Nikki Bardwell.