THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: For Post Falls High senior Kylie Munday, volleyball is ‘the other half of me’

Two things have been constants in North Idaho high school volleyball the past four seasons:

1) Kylie Munday leading the Post Falls Trojans as a setter and right side hitter; and

2) Kylie Munday with a big ’ol smile on her face after a winning point.

“There’s the joy of the sport, and who I play with,” Munday explained. “And volleyball has always had an impact on me as a young girl, so living up to that little girl that I’ve always wanted to play for. My family is a huge supporter, and they’ve always encouraged me. There’s never been a time when I hadn’t liked volleyball; it’s always been like the other half of me. I’m always happy to be there.”

What gives Kylie joy on the volleyball court?

Holding the block as she decides whom to set, so the hitter has either an open net or a one-on-one with the blocker … winning a long rally … playing in a tight match … being under pressure.

“My competitiveness, they feed off,” Munday said of her teammates. “Everyone knows I’m competitive, and want to win, but I’m also enjoying the moment, and celebrating. Even if we don’t get the point, you have to find the good that happened in that play, because volleyball is a game of mistakes, so every point ends on a mistake, so it’s important to find what we did well during that rally, even if we didn’t end up getting the point.”

Led by the 5-foot-11 Munday, a senior, four-year starter and University of San Diego commit, Post Falls has brought home trophies from the past two state volleyball tournaments — fourth in 2021, and third last year.

This week, Munday and the Trojans (30-6) play for the program’s first state title when the state 5A tournament runs Friday and Saturday at Lake City High. Post Falls, the No. 3 seed, opens vs. Timberline (27-9) of Boise on Friday at 11 a.m.

“I’ve been blessed to coach a lot of players, with a lot of different skill levels, and a lot of different physical skill levels and mental skill levels,” Post Falls coach Willow Hanna said. “Kylie just came in as a freshman and played and had leadership skills and mental toughness skills like a senior. Her and I developed a bond quickly, and I just am really thankful for that coach/player relationship that we’ve had for the last four years.”

KYLIE STARTED playing volleyball at age 8, practicing with the club team her sister, Alli, who was 14 at the time, was playing on.

Alli Munday starred at Post Falls High, graduating in 2018, and then played at Idaho.

Alli was the career kills leader at Post Falls until her record was broken earlier this season … by Kylie.

“Definitely my sister brought the sport to me,” Kylie said. “I don’t know if I would be here without her, because volleyball clicked for me, especially after she taught me so many things.”

One of Alli’s club coaches at the time was Karla Mitchell, former Kellogg High star and Coeur d’Alene High coach, and mother of former Lake City star Klaire Mitchell, now playing at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.

Kylie said Karla still coaches her to this day.

“She actually taught me to be a setter,” Kylie said. “I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today without her.”

Kylie played a little basketball through middle school, but realized early that volleyball was her one and only sport. She plays it year-round — with her high school team … with her Renovators club team, where one of her coaches, Kari Chavez, also helped her develop as a setter … with friends on the sand volleyball court in the backyard of the family home … and with the USA Volleyball national team development program.

Kylie was selected for the USA Volleyball development program in the fall of 2021. Girls from all over the country gather four times a year for four days of training with other girls in their age group (roughly 40-50 players per age group), concluding with players divided into teams for matches.

Kylie attends when she can, accompanied by her father and “travel buddy,” Rob. This summer, the USA camp (in Florida) was the same time as a high school team camp at Washington State. But, rather than go to the USA camp, where eventual national team players are selected, she opted to join her Trojan teammates in Pullman.

“I just think building relationships is important, and experiencing everything I could my last year (of high school) was really important to me,” Kylie said.

KYLIE COMMITTED to the University of San Diego, like Gonzaga a member of the West Coast Conference, in August 2022, just before her junior year at Post Falls. She attended a camp at USD in June, and was offered a scholarship days later.

She also was considering Colorado State, Arizona and Arizona State at the time, and attended a camp at ASU prior to the one at San Diego.

“As soon as I landed in San Diego, I just knew that the town, and the atmosphere was for me,” Kylie said. “And it also came down to I wanted to play at a higher level, and San Diego’s been to the tournament so many times, and ASU’s success wasn’t as high … I just wanted to play at the highest level I can, and ultimately that was at San Diego.”

The Toreros reached the semifinals of the NCAA volleyball tournament last season, beating Washington State in the second round, before falling in the semifinals to eventual champion Texas. San Diego has played in 25 of the last 27 NCAA tournaments.

“Funny story,” Kylie said. “My top two schools were Arizona State and University of San Diego. One of the reasons Arizona State was one of my top schools is because of their setters coach, Carlos (Moreno). And then after that (2022) season, he ended up on the coaching staff at San Diego (as associate head coach). So now I have the whole package deal that I want. It’s awesome.”

She enjoys hitting on her high school team, and on her club team when it warrants it, but will be a full-time setter in college.

“I just think setting is who I am. I like having control of the court,” Kylie said.

UNTIL THEN, Kylie said she’s just trying to soak up every bit of the experience of high school volleyball that she can, knowing that chapter is closing soon.

She said Alli is “definitely my biggest influence.”

“She’s always been encouraging, even after I broke her (career kills) record,” Kylie said with a laugh.

Their mom, Carolyn, played volleyball at University High in Spokane Valley in the 1990s. So while some families might relax on the beach during a vacation in, say, Hawaii, the Mundays bring out the volleyball for a spirited game of pepper.

When she does take a break from volleyball, Kylie enjoys snow skiing, and wakesurfing.

Hanna is in her second stint as volleyball coach at her alma mater. Her first year back as Trojans coach was Kylie’s freshman season.

“I think we’ve always had such a close bond,” Kylie said of Willow. “I can go to her with anything, and she can always ask me what I think about certain things. We’ve built a bond that’s really close. I trust her, and she trusts me. I’m very grateful for all the opportunities that she’s given me, and being so welcoming in the beginning.”

“She’s very welcoming and kind to any players she plays with, and she makes other players better,” Hanna said. “She’s very accepting of other players and their skill levels, and their mental skills too, and she’s really good about meeting them where they are, and inviting them to come along for the ride.”

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @CdAPressSports.