MELBOURNE, Fla. — In all sports, a student-athlete may not be the ideal height or build, but heart and being coachable makes up for it. Kelly Merz, 17, and a junior at Viera High School on the Hawks Varsity Volleyball team is 5’ 7” and in the world of volleyball, she isn’t the height of many players in her position. However, that doesn’t stop her and makes her work harder. Volleyball is a tough sport, mentally and physically. It requires good concentration, anticipation, strength, power, and being in the right place. Knees hitting the floor, jumping in the air, spiking the ball – can all take a toll on the body. But if you love the sport, you don’t think twice about it.

When Merz was younger, she tried many sports but fell in love with volleyball. However, there weren’t any volleyball recreational leagues, but there were club teams. Spending her younger years in West Melbourne, she joined the Spirit Volleyball Club and played on older teams for a few years. When she was 14, her family moved to Viera and she joined Cape Coast Volleyball Club. This team has been a great experience for her as they are a solid team and still playing together.

Merz is a versatile player and has played various positions on her club and high school teams. In 9th grade, she played Outside Hitter and Defensive Specialist, 10th grade, Libero, and now in 11th grade, she is the Setter, Right side Hitter and Outside Hitter. She has leadership skills and the respect of her coach and teammates on the Hawks as she is captain, and has been for the past two years. Also, she has been the captain of her Cape Coast Volleyball Club team.

Not surprising, Merz has many accomplishments in volleyball. While playing on the high school team last fall, she led her team in digs with 375 and was named to the First Team All-Conference. Additionally, in her 14’s and 15’s seasons playing, her club team qualified for Junior Nationals. This past spring, her 16’s season in the sport, her team was on the road to Nationals and Covid-19 happened. Saddened that their run for Nationals ended, she is happy to be back playing the sport again.

Due to Covid-19, the high school sports had a late start, but the Hawks Volleyball Team is doing well and are one to watch this season. Sarah Wayne, Hawks Volleyball Coach, is special to Merz. She says, “Coach Wayne has the ability to be tough and makes us work hard, but off the court, she jokes around and I have a deep respect for her.”

Not only is the coaching great, but also her Hawks team has a lot of chemistry as they have been playing together for a long time. Additionally, Merz’s sister, Mallory is a freshman and also on the Varsity team this season. The cohesiveness of the team is evident in how well they play on the court and their relationships off the court.

As we know in life, there can be setbacks. In her 15’s season of playing volleyball, Merz suffered a leg injury that sidelined her for 3 months. It was difficult not to be able to go out on the court and help her team, but she was there watching and cheering them on! Fortunately, she was able to come back in time for nationals.

Games for any athlete can be stressful and everyone has their rituals. Before a game, Merz calms herself down and assures herself that she knows what she is doing with positive self-talk. She says, “I hold all the power to determine how I play.”

Merz would like to go to college to play volleyball and major in something in the medical field. Division 1 and Division 2 colleges have been noticing her skills and contacting her about playing volleyball at the next level. Athletic ability only doesn’t get student-athletes to college to play; they must also excel in the classroom.

Merz works just as hard in the classroom as she does on the court and has a 4.0 unweighted overall grade point average. All A’s and B’s since elementary school, she is currently taking AP classes this school year and has been invited to join the National Honor Society at Viera High.

Like most athletes, she has sports heroes she looks up to. Michael Jordan is one because of his will to win and the way he looks at winning and losing. She also admires Misty May – Treanor, a retired professional beach volleyball player and three-time Olympic gold medalist in beach volleyball.

Kelly Merz is a great all-around young lady who is an asset to her high school and club volleyball teams. She is fortunate to have two excellent teams that have amazing chemistry and coaching, where she can continue to grow as a leader and a player. She has a bright future ahead of her and no doubt her future dreams will come true.

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