

By Matt Browning
Kingman’s Shay Watkins has been impressed with how she and her teammates have worked throughout the offseason. The hope is that translates into a successful season.
“We’ve been working hard in the off-season, and I can’t wait to see how that translates on the court,” Watkins said. “I’m especially looking forward to facing some of the tougher teams on our schedule so that we get to see how we work under pressure and how all of our hard work from the summer and first few practices has paid off.”
When the high school season concluded last October, that didn’t mean Watkins stopped dedicating her life to volleyball.
“A big part of my work in the off-season is playing club volleyball, where I have played with a lot of very talented girls,” Watkins said. “A few of them have already graduated and moved on to play college volleyball.”
While Watkins was named second team all-league last season, there were some components to her game that she wanted to improve on for the 2025 season.
“A big thing I have been working on this season is becoming a more versatile hitter,” Watkins said. “In the past, I have mostly been a middle hitter, but this year I have been working on becoming a better outside hitter. I believe this will help me and the team so that I am able to play wherever I am needed from game to game.”