Giving her all and playing each play as if it was her last is what audiences can expect of volleyball veteran Kayla Williams.
Williams is an intense competitor. For her losing is out of the question.Her talent is on display at every volleyball game. Just like everyone, there is a story behind this standout athlete. Everything Williams has, she earned the hard way.
Her road to success started 1,314 miles back in her hometown of Toronto. She was raised by her grandparents, Ben and Esther Tiangco.
Her grandmother got her started in sports at a very young age. Williams started playing volleyball in the fourth grade.
In the seventh grade, she started playing for the Scarborough Falcons.
Williams attended Francis Lebroman High School, where she played basketball, volleyball, track and soccer.
Ironically no one recruited her, but she was determined to play at the collegiate level.
Williams and her friend, Bryan West burned highlight tapes and dispersed them to more than 100 schools, but the majority of them were not interested in Williams.
GSU volleyball coach, Kim Young saw Williams’ highlight tape and brought her down on a visit. By the end of the weekend, she was offered a full a scholarship.
This was a moment of jubilation for her.
“I was so happy,” said Williams.
She was excited about the opportunity to play college volleyball.
Coming from Toronto Williams admits was a big difference.
Grambling is rural and slow placed to her.
With a lot of seniors who have departed last year’s team, such as Talon Morgan, Kayla said that her leadership is important and that she has to lead by example.
Kayla has done everything at GSU but win a SWAC title, and she said that she would trade in all her accolades just to hold that trophy at the end of the season.
Knowing that this is Williams’s last shot at a SWAC title, it is now or never. She would do anything for it.
When she leaves GSU this year, she would like to have a 4.0 GPA and a SWAC title. Those are her biggest Grambling goals now.