Colonia High School’s very own Kyle Kirejevas, sophomore, was recently selected All-White Division in boys’ volleyball as the best libero in the division. Kirejevas, a first-year varsity libero, has already shown promise in being able to compete with some of the best liberos in the state. He has been very productive in the back row for the Colonia this season as the best defensive player on the team, racking up 314 digs while averaging 13.6 digs per match. He also served for 59 service points and 7 service aces from the service line. He finished the season in the Top 10 for the state in overall number of digs this season. Kirejevas thanks his friends and coaches for helping him to reach this accomplishment. He feels fortunate to be able to achieve something at such a scale.
Kirejevas has showcased his ability to read and successfully pass against the top hitters in the division again and again. The other teams always made sure to try and hit and serve away from Kirejevas, knowing that he would most likely give our setter a good pass. Although sometimes the opposing team may score through Kirejevas’ defensive prowess, Kirejevas rarely makes the same mistake twice and adjusts according to how the hitters like to hit.
Kirejevas takes part in volleyball-related activities nearly every chance he gets. A lot of his friends are also volleyball players, so Kirejevas is exposed to the game almost constantly. Although it hasn’t been long since he started playing, he has clear knack for passing an he is passionate about the game. Kirejevas thoroughly enjoys both watching and playing the game. Although ,very rarely, Kirejevas becomes frustrated with some aspects of the game. He says that his biggest pet peeve while playing volleyball is probably diving for a ball and getting floorburns and/or bruises. He advises any volleyball player or athlete that bad days always happen and “it’s just a natural aspect of any sport”.
Coach Biri is proud of Kirejevas and says that Kirejevas could very well be the best libero the program has had. Coach Biri expects Kirejevas to only develop more and become more efficient in the back row. He says that Kyle has a very high volleyball IQ and possesses the ability to effectively read hitters and get to balls quickly.
However, behind all the countless practices and endless games, Kirejevas is also a straight A student, taking honors and AP classes and puts his schoolwork above everything else besides his friends and family. Coach Biri is also a strong advocate for academics and players are required to remain at a certain academic standing in order to be eligible to play. Kirejevas remains dedicated to both volleyball and keeping his grades up during the season and it hasn’t affected his on-court ability in the least, as one may be able to tell. Kirejevas is also a triplet. He has two twin brothers, named Riley and Ilya. Riley has said that he’s aware that Kirejevas is a state-ranked volleyball player but he wishes that Kirejevas would stop talking about it. “I kind of want to be better at soccer than Kyle is at volleyball just to rub it in his face”, said Riley, a soccer player for Colonia. It looks a little brotherly competition will come into play and motivate both brothers to become better at their individual sports.
Kirejevas still has two seasons remaining as the varsity libero and he hopes to reach his goal of 1000 digs by the end of his senior year season. He has worked hard to get at the level he is playing at right now and he hopes that he can become better with each new season. He plans on trying out for club volleyball in the summer and fall of 2016 to further develop his skills.
