‘They just want to talk about Kiki:’ Andover girls’ volleyball freshman making a smashing debut

Kiki Wright is a freshman at Andover High, and she just turned 14.

“Coming to us, she was no secret,” Young said. “Her hitting prowess certainly didn’t come as a surprise. I am blown away daily at what a complete player she is. She is a ball-control player, a serving player, a defensive player. All those areas just due to youth are growing and maturing. She’s nowhere near her peak potential.

“She has that competitive drive that I’ve only ever witnessed in elite athletes.”

The 6-foot outside hitter crushed 106 kills in her first 17 sets of high school play, and propelled the fifth-ranked Golden Warriors to a 4-1 start.

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“Kiki is an insane player,” said Central Catholic senior Julie Hall. “Like, you don’t see that in New England. She astonishes me every time I see her play.”

It’s not just that she has a 10-foot, 3-inch vertical reach, but she combines that with skill and strength to give Andover a game-breaking offensive weapon.

“What’s special about Kiki is her explosiveness,” said senior setter Tina Zheng. “Her vertical is insane and she has her timing down well enough to meet the ball at such a high point. She gets above the block and it helps her swing and her versatility. Her ability to move around the court and swing from different sets and placements is a great trait that she has.”

It helps that Wright has been playing since she was 4, and started club volleyball a few years later. She has played soccer, lacrosse, baseball, and hockey. She likes to surf too. But her focus is volleyball, and she hopes to play in the Pan American Games and at the FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Cup in the next few years.

“It’s just a really fun sport,” she said. “Whenever I’m thinking about other stuff and getting worried, I just hit a volleyball and I’m fine.”

Andover has reached the Division 1 quarterfinals twice in the past three seasons, and Wright looks to unlock another level. Rostering this phenom comes with a catch, though: opponents want to say they blocked or dug one of her missiles.

Wright showed her relentlessness in a five-set thriller against No. 4 Central Catholic by crushing 28 kills. Though the Golden Warriors were denied in the end, it’s clear there are levels the team can unlock and potential exists for a state championship.

“We know people are coming straight for us no matter what,” said senior middle Camryn Leithead. “We’re starting to bring it up. We have to give it our all every single time. We also have to live up to Kiki. We can’t be the people holding Kiki back at all, so we have to bring it up.”

Senior Ella Durant (50 kills) has been a reliable second outside for Zheng to set, and middle Kendall Bent adds to the senior net presence.

But even when Wright is not at the net, her impact is immense.

“If Kiki is bouncing the ball 10 feet, that might overshadow her passing,” Zheng said. “Her passing is spectacular. She’s a really solid player in the back row.”

Wright contributes in every category, including assists and blocks, though her blocking is not something opponents will test more than a few times.

She watches or attends as many college matches as she can.

“I pick out what the players do, and take some of their stuff,” Wright said. “I’m trying to hit like [Nebraska All-American] Harper Murray, like roll shots, super short, trying to implement that into my game.”

The way Wright handles the pressure to perform, the high-level experience she brings, and her knack for building chemistry with her teammates make her indispensable and one of the most valuable assets in the state.

“The girls all love her off the court,” Young said. “On the court, you see. it’s a light switch and it’s dead eyes.

“She’s not screwing around with anybody.”

▪ After playing right side and defensive specialist, Lynn Classical senior Melisa Iriskic has shifted to setter as a first-year starter. In Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Medford, she delivered 23 assists, 5 aces, and 6 digs for the 5-0 Rams.

It has been an impressive start for Iriskic, who replaced Emma Chevalier, now playing at Gordon, whom coach Chris LeBlanc considers the best in program history.

“She’s going out there and really leading the team, running the offense, making good decisions,” LeBlanc said. “It’s really helpful when she’s putting the ball in good places for our hitters to do well with.”

▪ Pembroke senior cocaptain Meghan Murray, a setter and rightside hitter, is on pace to rack up 1,000 assists (889 as of Tuesday), 600 kills (548), and 500 digs (375) in her career.

“You get these setters that do 1,000 assists and that’s it, or stats that are good for kills for our hitter, but the fact that she’s so versatile and does all six rotations just really shows the player she is,” coach Ariana Liakos said.

Friday, No. 11 Needham at No. 1 Winchester, 5:30 p.m. — In a rematch of their Division 1 second-round tilt, the visiting Rockets take on their second top-five team in three matches.

Friday, No. 10 Newton South at No. 12 Natick, 5:30 p.m. — This will be the first big test for the undefeated Bay State Conference squad.

Monday, No. 13 Reading at No. 20 Wakefield, 6 p.m. — The Rockets travel to their Middlesex rival, with the hosts looking to bounce back after back-to-back losses.

Tuesday, No. 12 Natick at No. 3 Brookline, 5:15 p.m. — A clash of the top two teams in the Bay State Conference (Carey). This will be the Warriors’ only home match in their next five.

Wednesday, No. 1 Winchester at No. 7 Franklin, 5:15 p.m. — The defending D1 champion Panthers invite the top-ranked Red & Black to their home court for a nonleague showdown.

Wednesday, Somerville at Lynn Classical, 5:15 p.m. — The top two teams in the Greater Boston League go head-to-head.

Correspondent Tony Gleason contributed to this story.

From the source AJ Traub can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X @aj_traub and Instagram @ajt37.