How this UNC Greensboro volleyball commit went from team manager to high school star

Stepping on to a varsity court as a middle schooler is a rare sight.

Competing against varsity players as a middle schooler and holding your own, well that’s almost unheard of.

Lakeside senior outside hitter Kendall Lanclos was that middle schooler six years ago. Now she’s the reigning Region 2-AAAAAA player of the year and finds herself leading the Panthers (13-0) to another dominant run to the state playoffs. To know how she got here is to know the culture around Lakeside volleyball.

Lanclos began like most do, in a local recreational league. With no middle school volleyball available, her options were limited when she entered the sixth grade.

“I played rec league originally when I was younger and could barely make an overhand serve over the net,” she said. “I went to an Augusta Prep volleyball camp and fell in love with it in middle school and then really fell in love with it (in high school).”

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Kendall Lanclos beyond her years on the volleyball court

While playing in rec league, Lanclos caught the eye of Scott Newland. Now the head coach of the Lakeside program, Newland was then an assistant under Panther’s great Moe McCormack. He invited Lanclos to be the manager of the high school team during her seventh-grade year.

As a manager, it wasn’t gameday duties where Lanclos shined — it was during practice. Whenever they needed another body on the floor, she filled in and not only did the job, but it was obvious she could to be a contributor for the team.

“It’s hard for a seventh grader to come into a high school, right? I mean you’ve got to be pretty mature to deal with that,” Newland said. “Let’s face it, it gets hard when they’re ordering her around and this and that. They liked her because she could compete with them. There aren’t many managers that can come in and do that.”

The next year, she played on the junior varsity roster as an eighth grader. Her freshman season, she moved to the varsity squad. The Panthers made it to the Georgia High School Association 6A Elite Eight that season and while some were concerned having a freshman in such a pivotal role, key players were not.

Then-seniors Mikayla Kline and Kennedy Powell, very much in a reflection of the culture McCormack had engrained in the program, made it known early on that Lanclos was going to be an integral player.

“They were seniors when I was a freshman, and they were so supportive," Lanclos said. "I still talk to Mikayla. They were huge because it was such a good senior class to play for. I don’t think any other would have been as empowering on the court, because there can be a lot of jealousy. They were like, ‘She’s playing, everyone can deal with it.’ I felt like they were really supportive and saw how good they were and looked up to them so much.”

Kline now plays volleyball for Division-II power Augusta University.

Lanclos credits Newland and McCormack for giving her a chance at such a young age.

“Newland was always really supportive and allowed me to play my seventh-grade year, so that was a big part of getting touches and me getting better,” she said. “Coach Moe believed in me and empowered me a lot as a freshman to play and be confident. She benched some older girls for me to play middle and she told me, ‘Don’t take anything from anyone, just play.’”

Next stop, Division-I volleyball

The senior has made a name for herself in the prep scene, but she said it was club volleyball where she truly found her love for the sport. When she joined Carolina Rogue, based in Columbia, S.C., she got her first taste of high-level volleyball.

“I always played up with the CSRA Heat, so that’s when I wanted to go see what Rogue was all about. Once I did, that was it for me,” she said. “My first open gym was filled with alumni from Power 5 schools. I only got on to the court twice as a freshman, because they would kick you off the court. I love it there, and I think that’s when it clicked.”

From that moment on, she knew that college volleyball was in her future.

Lanclos committed to UNC Greensboro earlier this year, passing over programs like William & Mary and other top programs. While the academic side of things weighed heavily on her decision, it was the Spartans who won out.

“It was hard, because with the academics this is like punching my ticket to any job,” she said, “But at UNCG it’s like family.”

UNCG coach Felica Turner took over the program after six years as an assistant at Georgia. It didn’t take long for her and Lanclos to click.

“They took me out to lunch at one of my tournaments, and I just connected really, really well,” Lanclos said. “I went on my visit and just loved it. They treat their athletes so well. I was like, ‘There’s no way I’m not going to go here.’ Everyone I met was amazing. It’s a big school and I like it.”

Lanclos' high school volleyball career comes full circle

Just as Kline and Powell did for her four years ago, Lanclos is determined to set the example for the underclassmen in the program. Whether it’s staying late for practice, helping out younger players, or even just being a friend when needed, she knows when to turn the fire on and off.

That was never more evident than when summer workouts began.

“I just try to be encouraging. At first, they hadn’t seen me play all summer and they were like, ‘Oh she’s so nice.’ And then they saw me hit and they were scared of me,” she said, laughing. “I try to go out of my way to be nice but make it a competitive environment because it was really competitive when I came.”

Lanclos has come a long way in six years and it still seems the sky is the limit for the future Spartan. Newland has seen that growth firsthand and knows she is primed for success at the next level like few ever have been.

“Watching her grow and watching her work, the fact that she would go up to Columbia and still end up top 10 in her class (academically), traveling three hours a night and practicing two hours, it just says a lot for her work ethic,” he said. “She’s usually the first one in the gym. She knows what her goals are and that’s what she’s been working toward since she was in seventh grade.”

There’s still a lot of volleyball left to play in 2023, however. Lakeside continues action Thursday against region foe Evans.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Lakeside star Kendall Lanclos' journey to UNC Greensboro volleyball