The outside hitter position is undeniably the glamour position in volleyball, sometimes overshadowing others on the court.
Then again, sometimes the big bomber up front is worthy of every bit of that attention. Such is the case for the 2009 All-Courier prep volleyball player of the year, Prescott High's Kenzie Phelps.
The junior averaged more than four kills per game this year and close to 12 per match. But she did more than just put balls away. She also averaged almost a block per game and a shade less than five digs per game.
"She is just a great athlete all the way around," PHS coach Christa Stehower said. "I think definitely that one of her strengths is that she's a hustler all the way around. She goes for everything. She does have that natural athletic ability which makes her a great volleyball player.
"She is a very consistent passer, which I think is one of the most important skills that you can have as a player, because everything starts off with a pass."
Phelps was part of the Badger team that went 27-3 and advanced to the Class 4A, Division I state semifinals - the best season for the program since 2002.
Of course she had a very deep talented team around her, so the focus is more about the group.
"I don't really care about the attention," Phelps said. "I just like playing it. I know that you have to have a good pass and set to have a hit. I understand that. I think they deserve as much attention as I do because I couldn't do anything without them."
But even her talented teammates know how good Phelps is.
"I love Kenzie," senior libero Chelsea Dillon said. "She is an amazing person to play with because she always is so aggressive and you can always count on her to get the point."
Dillon also had a player-of-the-year-caliber season, averaging 7.7 digs per set on the back row. But as Yavapai College volleyball coach Matt Cohen always says, nobody can change a match like a big outside hitter.
Cohen should know, as his team had a big year with a pair of bangers, including Prescott grad Jordan Anderson.
The Badgers continue to turn out big outside hitters. They have produced the past seven Courier Players of the Year. Including Phelps, five of those were outsides. One was a middle and the other was a setter.
You need all the parts - from the pass to the set to the hit - to score a point. Unfortunately Prescott was missing some of the "hit" in the state tournament when Phelps sprained her ankle in practice between the first and second round.
She limped onto the court to serve twice in the team's semifinal loss to Cactus Shadows.
"When anybody is injured you feel like you're - not that you're not part of the team but you feel separated from the group," Stehower said. "You're not able to go out there and do your thing. I think for her to get in there and experience what it's like to play at state, even if it was for one or two serves, it's good for you emotionally and physically."
Nobody can say whether Phelps' presence would have made the difference. But it certainly would have helped.
Dillon said people don't realize how hard Phelps works for how good she is. She also said Phelps gets angry very easily. So sitting and watching did not go well.
"It was definitely hard on me because it was the first time it had ever happened to me," Phelps said. "But in the end it made me a lot stronger for next season."
Phelps will be back next year to carry on the lineage of Prescott stars like Vanessa Nagy, Anderson, the Acklin sisters, Brittany and Natalie, and even back to her coach, then Christa Greseth.
Phelps admits she gets down on herself and says she needs to work on that. But she also said that's why she has teammates is to pick her up.
In middle school she was really short and was a setter. She is now playing in the spotlight position, but still likes what drew her to the sport in the first place.
"I like the teamwork," Phelps said. "I played tennis before and I hated being by myself. I just like playing with people and having fun."
