In fifth grade, Kamryn Hunt followed in the footsteps of both of her athletic parents, going down a path she seemed almost destined for: basketball.
Despite the blueprint laid out for her, Hunt transformed the trajectory of her life after meeting Ohio coach Geoff Carlston, who would bring her to her current role as a big sister for Ohio volleyball.
“Basketball was definitely my first love just because my parents played it, and no one in my family played volleyball,” Hunt said. “Once I started playing competitive club volleyball, I was going into my freshman year, and then that's when I fell in love with it, and knew I wanted to play in college.”
Despite only being a sophomore, Hunt has big shoes to fill and so far has reflected her values from her home to her family in the front and back row.
Growing up in Sylvania, Ohio, Hunt was surrounded by athleticism growing up. Her mother and father both played basketball at the University of Findlay, and all three of her siblings, the youngest at 9 years old, made for a “competitive household.”
Hunt has a special connection with her father, Kyle Hunt, who many know because of his cheering and audible support from the stands.
“I think something that I live by (is my dad’s) favorite phrase of all time is, ‘Be an athlete,’” she said. “And I think that's because he wasn't a volleyball dad until I started really loving the sport. So he was definitely learning the game with me.”
Following each match, Krosby Hunt — Kamryn Hunt’s youngest sister — can be found running up to her 6-foot-1-inch sibling on the sideline for a jump and a hug, win or loss.
“I just take so much pride in being the oldest sister,” Hunt said. “Krosby, I'm 10 years older than her, so I definitely feel like more of a motherly figure. I was in fifth grade when she was born.”
Hunt believes everyone can learn something from having a 9-year-old in their life, from the optimism and fearlessness to try new things in addition to childlike wonder. Even Krosby encourages Hunt and her teammates to “be an athlete,” a memory Coach Carlston and Hunt’s teammate Anna Kharchynska will never forget.
“Anna (Kharchynska) tried to go save the play, and she jumps over the courtside chairs, all the chairs just go falling down because they're all connected, and the ball did not get up,” Hunt said, laughing. “So it was a great attempt. Just great hustle and Crosby yells, ‘Be an athlete, Anna,’ and my team started laughing, and it was just so funny.”
Although Hunt’s leadership has shone through on the court this year, her growth as an individual player has been tremendous. She is the team’s current leader in kills with 262, with a single-game career-high against LMU with 27 kills in a single match. Additionally, Hunt boasts 129 digs and 13 service aces. Hunt has fully committed herself to being a leader and stepping up.
“It's definitely the role I want to have as an athlete,” she said. “It's definitely the type of player that I am and I've been talking with Geoff since I committed. He always helped me, mentored me into not playing my age … When I was a senior in high school he told me to walk, talk and act like a Division I athlete.”
With so much room left to grow, Hunt continues to show up to every match as though it's a family reunion of its own. As she embodies her father’s words of wisdom, her career has kept her close with not just her immediate family but the one she has built at the net as well.
“(We’re) committing to get better and committing to know that we're gonna grow and we're gonna fail together, and we're gonna succeed together,” Hunt said. “I think just having the mentality of what the team needs right now is the most important, rather than what you need personally. I think that ties in perfectly to my family as well.”
