Lansing’s Kayla Palmer commits to Elon volleyball

Last year, the crowning achievement in Tompkins County sports was Lansing volleyball winning its first-ever state championship. One of their key players will soon be taking her talents to the Division I volleyball scene.

On November 15, Kayla Palmer signed her National Letter of Intent to play volleyball at Elon University in North Carolina. Palmer actually announced her verbal commitment all the way back in March when she was a junior, and she explained how she came to her decision so quickly.

“I was talking to them for a little while,” Palmer said. “As soon as I got on campus for my visit and I met the team, I knew that that was somewhere where I would be happy and [where] I wanted to continue my career.”

Palmer joins a program that is looking to rebound after a tough season, going 5-22 this past fall. The Phoenix’s struggles were in part due to having a very young and inexperienced team. Palmer will bring many strong aspects to Elon to help turn the tide around.

“I think leadership is a huge part of that,” Palmer said. “I think my role in that aspect increased over the past couple of years, especially in my junior and senior seasons, so I’m excited to see how I can be a leader on a new team. Having the experience of playing in competitive matches—like in the state tournament—will really help me in college.”

The leadership that Palmer will carry over to Elon cannot be understated. Not only was Palmer a three-year captain for Lansing, she was essentially the quarterback of the team as their setter, which comes with its own natural leadership qualities.

“You get all the plays and you pretty much have control over every play,” Palmer said. “You’re touching the ball and every play, and so you have a lot of control and influence in how each play turns out. I think just having trust in your players and your teammates is super important, and that’s something that’s hard to gain quickly. Being on the team at Lansing and playing with the same girls for so many years is what helped us so much, and that trust is just super important.”

Another key thing that Palmer will bring to the college ranks is a winning pedigree. She played an instrumental role in the Bobcats’ recent spell of dominance, helping them win three straight sectional titles from 2021-23. She capped off her high school career in the best way possible as a state champion and was named the Class B Tournament MVP.

“It was just surreal at first,” Palmer said. “We’ve had a few weeks to reflect on it, and there’s been a few moments where we’ve been able to get back together and enjoy that success. But just looking back, it’s so special for Lansing being the first volleyball state championship ever. It’s something that we’ve been working for for years, and to finally be able to accomplish that in such a dominant way was so special.”

“Dominant” might be putting it lightly. The Bobcats flat-out steamrolled their way to victory by not dropping a single set during their sectional and state tournament runs. In fact, only two of the 19 sets they played during that time went past the necessary 25 points to win. Palmer credited their powerful run to the sheer amount of hard work they put in getting ready for what was an unforgettable weekend in Glens Falls.

“I just think that we were super prepared,” Palmer said. “We definitely didn’t go in knowing that we could win. We knew that there were some really hard teams that we had to face, but we were prepared to face them and we wanted to be in those hard matches. We were working really hard in practice and watching a lot of film. [Head] coach [Nicole] Lamie really prepared us for that. I just think that we were ready and we worked together really well. I think that our confidence, especially in a lot of the younger players, just grew in that postseason, and that really helped us.”

Palmer further described just how monumental of an impact Lamie has made on both the team and her own development to become such a force on the court.

“She’ll always talk about her players, but she has such an influence on our team,” Palmer said. “Individually as a player, the communication that she and I have all the time is just so special. We work together and she pushes me to be a leader. We help the younger girls together, which was super special this year. Nobody will ever know the hours that she’s spent preparing us for that on her own and with the team. It’s just so special, and she truly deserved to win that state championship.”

As Palmer prepares for the next step in her already-outstanding career, she will no doubt leave behind a lasting legacy as one of the greatest athletes in both program and Lansing history.