Gillaspie’s signing illustrates her mental determination

Burnet High School senior volleyball player Kayla Gillaspie fulfilled a lifelong goal May 6 when she signed a National Letter of Intent to play for Ranger College in Odessa.

The Lady Dawg, who was a member of the District 19-4A co-championship and Class 4A Region III semifinalist team, celebrated the signing with family and friends.

Few athletes have had more fo overcome to get to this moment than Gillaspie. In 2020, she tore an anterior cruciate ligament one match before the start of district play. After surgery, she began rehabilitation that included working with physical therapists and the sports training staff at the high school.

“It challenged me a lot,” she said. “I thought, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to do this. I’m going to have to work for things.’ My goal was to play in college. I’m going to have to work hard for this. It was really hard coming back.”

She didn’t consider quitting the sport.

“When I was in middle school, I looked up to the girls who played,” she said. “I wanted to be a player like the girls I looked up to. I wanted to do it. I wanted to play in college.”

Head coach Crystal Shipley summed up what Gillaspie has meant to the program.

“I think she made everyone love volleyball again,” she said. “It’s a Cinderella story. It was a long way back from injury. She’s been a starter. She put in the rehab and the work. She went through a mental hardship. The mental was hard.”

Once Gillaspie returned from her injury, the four-year letterman decided it would be best for everyone if she moved from outside hitter to being a defensive specialist and libero.

“She came to me,” Shipley said. “It was tough on us. There were times we’d ask her, ‘Do you want to go to the front row?'”

The player said she gets more joy being on the back row.

“Whenever the hitter hits, I like digging (the ball),” she said. “It shows who’s in charge. They’re hitting where they think they got a shot at a point. I like spreading out and digging and getting bruises.”

“It’s unselfish for sure,” Shipley said. “It’s the most unselfish.”

Neither the player nor the coach were surprised by the success of the 2021 Lady Dawgs. Shipley saw the seniors in the fourth grade and then coached them at Burnet Middle School, so she knew their potential.

Gillaspie was happy the team fulfilled it.

“My freshman and sophomore years, my classmates and I had that high goal because we all liked playing together for a long time,” Gillaspie said. “We trusted each other. It was expected for us to get there.”

As for why she chose Odessa College, Gillaspie said it came down to relationships.

“Mainly for the coaches cause I feel like they’re really good people,” she said. “They have my best interests at heart. And it’s a brand new campus.”

She plans to major in animal science.