College volleyball: National Player of the Year Rymer racks up honors – Salisbury Post

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Submitted picture —
Columbia Worldwide volleyball coach Amber Haver, left, joins participant of the 12 months Kira Rymer and Olympic Gold Medalist Annie Drews.

By Mike London

mike.london@salisburypost.com

CHINA GROVE  — In September, Columbia Worldwide College celebrated 10 years of taking part in school athletics with the primary CIU Sports activities Corridor of Fame inductee — a soccer participant.

South Rowan graduate and CIU volleyball participant Kira Rymer is a certain factor to be inducted into that new Corridor of Fame sometime. The junior is engaging in issues no CIU athlete has ever finished. Not simply in volleyball, however in any sport.

CIU competes in athletics as a twin affiliate of each the Nationwide Christian School Athletic Affiliation and the Nationwide Affiliation of Intercollegiate Athletics. NAIA faculties give athletic scholarships and so they play volleyball at a stage near Division II.

Rymer is the Nationwide Christian School Athletic Affiliation Nationwide Participant of the Yr, which implies she was voted to be the very best from the 90 or so NCCAA faculties.

Rymer is the primary athlete in CIU historical past to win nationwide participant of the 12 months honors — in any sport.

“Selecting Columbia Worldwide is likely one of the greatest choices I ever made,” Rymer stated. “Whenever you signal to play school athletics, you don’t take into consideration issues like being an All-American or being the Participant of the Yr. You’re simply hoping to be ok to play. However I had nice preparation in highschool and obtained a number of hours of coaching from my uncle (Salem School coach Barry Rymer), and it’s actually helped me,”

Rymer’s volleyball versatility was put to good utilized by robust South Rowan groups coached by Jenna Horne and he or she achieved the rarity of topping 1,000 kills, 1,000 digs and 1,000 assists in highschool.

As a Columbia Worldwide Ram, the 5-foot-11 Rymer has been in a position to focus on doing a number of issues very properly. Without any consideration facet hitter, she has been devastating. She broke this system file for kills this season with 614.

“Simply being a entrance row participant is totally different,” Rymer stated. “I’m nonetheless principally the identical participant I used to be in highschool, however I’ve been in a position to deal with making enhancements as a hitter and as a blocker.”

Whereas it could sound loopy, Rymer has obtained a postseason accolade that could be even larger than NCCAA Nationwide Participant of the Yr.

She was named a primary group NAIA All-American, the third time she’s been an All-American, however the first time she’s been on the primary group. She’s the primary participant from the CIU program to be named a primary group All-America.

There are 229 NAIA faculties competing in girls’s volleyball, and Rymer is one among 15 first teamers.

Nearly all the NAIA nationwide volleyball powers are established applications within the Midwest. Rymer is the one first group All-America chosen who performs east of Indiana.

“First group NAIA means simply as a lot as NCCAA Participant of the Yr as a result of NAIA is so aggressive and there are such a lot of extra faculties,” Rymer stated. “I really feel very honored.”

Added CIU coach Amber Haver, “It’s so unbelievable when laborious work is acknowledged on the nationwide stage. First group All-America was a aim I had for Kira and I’m pretty sure she didn’t consider me that it was inside her attain. She’s a really humble, however hard-working athlete. I’m glad to see her get honored at this stage.”

Rymer was  Appalachian Athletic Convention Participant of the Yr and he or she was a area participant of the 12 months for NCCAA and NAIA.

She led CIU to a nationwide runner-up end within the NCCAA playoffs, however CIU misplaced at dwelling within the first spherical of the NAIA playoffs.

“5 units, a heartbreaker, particularly after we obtained to play it at dwelling,” Rymer stated.

Rymer was valedictorian at South, following within the footsteps of her father, Rodney Rymer, who additionally was No. 1 within the classroom throughout his days at South.

She has continued to excel with the books at CIU and was not too long ago named a primary group Tutorial All-America. She carries a 3.89 GPA whereas majoring in enterprise administration and sports activities administration.

Off the court docket, it’s been a whirlwind of success and new experiences for her.

For example, her roommate is an athlete from Poland.

She serves on the college’s Scholar Govt Board.

Socially, CIU has confirmed  to be the precise match. She’s met the individual she plans to marry and the marriage is being scheduled for July.

So life can be a lot totally different for her subsequent fall, however she nonetheless plans to be an All-America for the fourth straight time. That may be a tough file to ever beat at CIU.

“I’ve additionally obtained that COVID (redshirt) season, so I might go to grad college and take a look at for 5 in a row,” the longer term Corridor of Famer stated with amusing.

As soon as Rymer obtained dwelling for the vacations, she didn’t keep in China Grove lengthy. She launched into a household street journey to Omaha, Nebraska, seeing some sights alongside the way in which reminiscent of Mammoth Collapse Kentucky.

In Omaha, she was the American Volleyball Coaches Affiliation’s visitor for a Division I nationwide semifinal — and he or she additionally obtained to choose up a pleasant Christmas reward.

On the AVCA All-America banquet, Olympic Gold Medalist Annie Drews, a volleyball professional and one of many world’s greatest gamers, introduced Rymer together with her NCCAA Nationwide Participant of the Yr award.

“I’ve had some issues occur for me that I by no means might have dreamed of three years in the past,” Rymer stated.

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