BATON ROUGE — Perhaps the most athletic player in the nation under six feet tall, senior outside hitter Kyna Washington from Houston has signed to play volleyball at LSU, as announced by Tiger head coach Fran Flory on Thursday.
Washington, who stands 5-11, has been one of the top 50 overall players in the nation for the past three years. Her tremendous athleticism and knowledge of the game landed her a place on the USA Junior National A-2 team last summer after she was an all-tournament selection at the USA National Junior Olympics in 2003.
“Kyna is one of the top volleyball players in the country,” said Flory. “Her athleticism and experience set her apart. We are extremely excited to have her join our program. She will have an immediate impact next fall and we expect her to have a tremendous career.”
The daughter of James and Faye, the right-handed Washington was named one of the top three players in the state of Texas in 2004. In addition, she was selected to the All-Texas team in 2003 and was one of Lonestar Volleyball’s Players to Watch in 2002 and 2003. Last season, she was also named an outstanding hitter by the publication.
Among her many other accolades, the Westfield High School product led the All-Greater Houston area in kills with over five a game and ranked in the top 20 in blocks in 2003. The three-year starter and team captain was a member of the All-Greater Houston team and the Most Valuable Player in District 15-5A last season.
In leading the Lady Mustangs to the district championship in 2003, Washington was also a member of the Cy-Fair and Kingwood all-tournament teams and the Athlete of the Week by the Houston Chronicle and a local Houston television station.
A member of the Texas Tornados club team for three years, she led her club to a Phoenix Invitational championship in 2001 and the Tournament of Texas championship in 2002 and 2003. Her team also placed in the top three at the Las Vegas Invitational in 2002 and 2003, and finished second at the Mideast Qualifier in 2003.
For three seasons, she helped the Tornados to a place in the U.S. Junior National Volleyball Championship, finishing ninth in 2003 after earning the Flight 1 championship.
Washington, who began playing volleyball at the age of nine for the local YMCA, has also been involved as a coach assistant with the Tornados high school camp and is a youth volleyball coordinator for the Cypress Creek YMCA.