By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics

Kaitlyn Ferguson's vertical leap is so impressive that she can get her entire hand above a basketball rim. The only reason she can't dunk is because neither hand is big enough to palm the ball.

But they're plenty effective in crushing a volleyball, which is what Ferguson has found to be her specialty. Going into this weekend's home series against UNC Wilmington, Ferguson leads the Tribe with 74 kills (2.85 per set). She had a career-high 15 in last week's comeback win over George Mason.

That kind of production didn't come without dedication and a willingness to change. Ferguson was recruited as a 6-foot middle blocker, and that's what she played as a freshman in 2019. But Tribe coach Tim Doyle believed she could be an elite opposite hitter.

"We saw her as an all-conference player as long she committed to it," Doyle said. "And here she is, playing at an all-conference level. It's a testament to her work ethic and humility to buy into a position switch."

For Ferguson, it didn't take much convincing.

"I thought I'd be a little better suited for it, especially at this level," she said. "I thought my skill set was best for opposite than at middle. Since making the change, I've been playing a lot better and feeling a lot better about my game."

For the season, Ferguson is averaging 9.25 kills per match with a .258 attack percentage. Those are solid numbers that figure to only get better as she keeps up the good work.

After accepting Doyle's suggestion to switch positions, Ferguson threw herself into training — although not for long. COVID-19 shut everything down in March of 2020 and sent everyone home. Which meant Ferguson would have to work on her own at home in Tampa, Fla.

She returned to Williamsburg when classes began in August of '20, and the team began working together the following month. But over Thanksgiving break, Ferguson began experiencing "weird symptoms," which included tingling in her limbs.

Ferguson said she underwent "every test under the sun," which caused her to miss the eight-game spring season in '21. Those tests found no cause for the symptoms and concluded she was healthy.

"It was a period of three months of not knowing what was going on," Ferguson said. "And then it started to get better."

Ferguson returned to W&M for her classes and, finally, to work with her teammates. It felt great, but it was only three weeks. It would be another four months before she would train with her coaches and teammates again.

In the fall season of '21, Ferguson played 42 of a possible 74 sets and was sixth on the team with 55 kills. Twenty of those came in the final three games.

"I struggled at times being more high error than I wanted," she said. "I wasn't playing my best. But once we hit those last couple of weeks, I'm not sure what clicked, but I felt I started to hit my stride."

Ferguson knew the offseason would be huge. She had never been a dedicated weight lifter, but she became one.

"The way my body is built, I don't put on muscle very easily," Ferguson said. "I always thought that wouldn't necessarily be my thing, but I really took it to heart.

"I wanted to be in the top group instead of the bottom group like I had been. I was getting overpowered by other people, and I got tired of that happening."

Doyle was blown away by the results.

"She was amazing in the weight room, and now she's touching 10 (feet), 5½ (inches)," he said. "That's a really high number for any player. She's dedicated to her craft as an opposite, right-side attacker."

Ferguson's leaping ability makes her a threat at the net. But setter Amy Schwem believes there's something else.

"Yeah, she touches 10-5, but what makes her really special is that she's also super-fast," she said. "A lot of times when you have height, you're maybe explosive up but not in any other direction. With her, she gets up there but she does it really quick.

"That was also part of the growth process on the setter's end, to find the right ball for her. Finding a ball that is high enough but also quick enough to make it as effective as possible. Once we got it down from both ends, it's become really something hard to stop."

Another factor, Schwem believes, is that Ferguson was voted one of two team captains (along with libero Anna Porter) in the spring.

"She's really embraced that role and taken it into her own game," Schwem said. "She's really come into her own and refused to be anything less than great."

Ferguson, an economics major and psychology minor, is scheduled to graduate next spring. After that, she hopes, will come law school. She plans to take the LSAT next month.

After graduation, Ferguson will have one season of eligibility remaining. Whether she takes it will depend on a few factors — first and foremost, where she attends law school.

"I've talked to Tim a little bit about that, and he's been gracious enough to give me time and space to come to that decision," Ferguson said. "I wouldn't want to be using another year if I didn't think I'd be of any benefit to the team.

"But seeing where my level of play is now definitely makes me think I'd be an asset to the team in a year. It's definitely something that is making me sway toward wanting to use that fifth year."