Western Washington’s Kayleigh Harper, an Oak Harbor alum, leaps in the air to spike a ball during a match against Rockhurst in the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championships on Dec. 10, 2015, in Tampa Bay, Fla. (Western Washington University photo)

Western Washington’s Kayleigh Harper, an Oak Harbor alum, leaps in the air to spike a ball during a match against Rockhurst in the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championships on Dec. 10, 2015, in Tampa Bay, Fla. (Western Washington University photo)

Former Oak Harbor star Harper now a standout for WWU volleyball

As a younger girl, Kayleigh Harper decided to try volleyball. A lot of her friends had started playing, so she wanted to play, too.

And since she is now a standout at Western Washington University, it reasons that she was good right from the start.

Alas, not true. Back then, Harper admitted with a laugh, “I was really tall and uncoordinated. I wasn’t really good at hitting. I was just there for blocking (at the net).”

Getting good at volleyball, she said, “took me a while.”

But with determination, patience and a lot of hard work, Harper blossomed into a star at Oak Harbor High School, where she graduated in 2014. After a redshirt season at WWU, she became one of the team’s top players a year ago, setting a few school records and being named to both the All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference first team and the NCAA Division II national championship All-Tournament team.

She is, said Vikings head coach Diane Flick Williams, “someone that everyone on our team says, “Thank goodness she’s on our team.’”

As a middle blocker, the 6-foot-3 Harper set a single-season Western Washington record in 2015 with 143 block assists, and her 171 total blocks was a freshman record and the fifth-best total in school history. Named the HERO Sports Newcomer of the year for Division II volleyball, Harper helped the Vikings to a 27-6 record and a spot in the Final Four tournament, where WWU lost in the semifinals.

Despite the disappointment of missing a national title last season, “I think we surprised a lot of people,” Harper said. “Every day we practiced, we’d walk in and try to play the best we can. And if we keep giving our best (at practice), then that’s what’s going to happen on the court (in matches), too.”

As for her individual recognition, “that was really cool,” she said. “That part I thought was surprising. When you play you don’t really expect anything, you’re just giving it your all. So when stuff like that happens, you say, ‘Oh, cool,’ but then you get back to work because there’s definitely a lot more to do.”

Like most top players, Harper has a variety of talents, with some more evident than others. “Everybody sees the obvious, and that’s that she’s 6-3 and really quick,” Flick-Williams said. But another strength is “the way she sees the game, her court vision, and her ability to eliminate the extra stuff and really focus on what’s important. That’s what makes her so effective.”

As for her physical gifts, “she jumps well, she’s fast, she plays big at the net because she has really efficient movements, and she can hit the ball hard. She can put up a wall against opposing hitters,” Flick-Williams said.

A year ago, the coach added, “I’d say she was a bit of a surprise and not for the level she played at, but with the consistency that she played at that level. I kept waiting for her to (drop off) because that’s what freshmen do, but she was consistent all year long. And she consistently got better all year long.”

This season Harper is again playing well for a WWU team that has a lot of promise, despite a less than stellar start. After losing their first three matches, the Vikings have climbed to 5-5, including a 1-1 GNAC record. Four of the team’s defeats have been to nationally ranked opponents.

Being at .500, “it’s hard for all us to see (that record) and be satisfied,” Flick-Williams said. “But I also know the competition we went after at the beginning of the year. We chose to (schedule) the hardest teams we could play so we’d be battled tested for our conference season.

“We’ve played the best teams in the country and we fell short by just a few points, so our upside is huge,” she said. “We have lots of potential ahead of us. … Even though we did well last year, we’re still young and youth provides a lot of opportunities.”

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Sports

Prep basketball roundup for Tuesday, Feb. 11

Tulalip Heritage finishes second in district tournament.

Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak (left) and head coach Mike Macdonald (right) spoke to the media at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025 (Aaron Coe / The Herald)
New Seahawks OC excited to coach Geno Smith

Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has “a lot of respect” for Seahawks QB.

Vancouver Giants goalie Burke Hood makes a play for the puck against the Everett Silvertips, who lost 6-2 to the Giants at Langley Events Centre on Saturday, one day after clinching a WHL playoff spot. (Rob Wilton, Giants/Special to Black Press Media).
Tips Week in Review: Everett first in WHL to clinch playoff berth

The Silvertips defeated Kamloops on Friday to secure spot, but lost to Vancouver on Saturday

Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett (16) runs with after a catch against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (Photo courtesy of the Seattle Seahawks)
Tyler Lockett’s future with Seahawks remains unclear

Seattle coach Mike Macdonald noncommittal 1 month before a possible decision point.

Vote for The Herald’s Prep Athlete of the Week for Feb. 2-8

The Athlete of the Week nominees for Feb. 2-8. Voting closes at… Continue reading

Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) throws a pass against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2024. (Photo courtesy of the Seattle Seahawks)
O’Neil: The Seahawks will keep Geno Smith

The reasons for the Seahawks quarterback sticking around are simple and obvious.

The Edmonds-Woodway bench reacts to a foul call during the game against Shorewood on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025 in Shoreline, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Prep basketball roundup for Monday, Feb. 10

Warriors win battle of division champs.

Lake Stevens’ Kamryn Mason attempts to flip Glacier Peak’s Kyla Brown onto her back during 110-pound match at the 4A girls wrestling district tournament on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025 in Mill Creek, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Vikings girls wrestling conquers 4A District 1 Tournament

Lake Stevens dominated with champions in six weight classes and 18 total state-qualifiers

Perfect week no help to Gonzaga

An unbeaten week against a pair of middle- to lower-tier West Coast… Continue reading

LeBron James (23) and Luka Doncic (77) of the Los Angeles Lakers look on as John Collins (20) of the Utah Jazz drives to the basket during the first quarter at Crypto.com Arena on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images / Tribune News Services)
Lakers’ LeBron James and Luka Doncic hit the ground running

LeBron James and Luka Doncic represent different generations and… Continue reading

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) smiles as head coach Nick Sirianni holds up the Lombardi trophy after they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (Timothy A. Clary / AFP / Getty Images / Tribune News Services)
Eagles overwhelm Chiefs to win the Super Bowl

The Philadelphia Eagles perhaps did not vanquish the Kansas… Continue reading

Coach Derek Lopez (far right) and the Lake Stevens boys' wrestling team celebrates with their championship trophy at the WIAA 4A District 1 Tournament at Jackson High School on Feb. 8, 2025.
Lake Stevens boys capture district wrestling title

The Vikings had 17 state-qualifiers; second-place Arlington led with five weight class winners

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.