« Volleyball 2021

Kennedy Eschenberg

School
BYU
Position
MB
Major
Elementary Education

Classroom

Eschenberg graduated this August with a degree in elementary education, boasting a 3.87 cumulative GPA. She minored in family life and TESOL K-12.

She has been named to the All-District Eight first team twice and WCC All-Academic first team three times. Eschenberg was also named to the 2020 CoSIDA Academic All-America third team.

Additionally, she was named to both the 2018 and 2020 WCC Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

Character

Eschenberg served on the Student Athletic Academic Counsel for two years. This committee of student-athletes meets and discusses issues that need to be resolved. They also focus on how to better the lives of student-athletes. The committee planned activities for elementary school students, children with disabilities, and activities for student-athletes.

She also works with elementary-aged school children. Throughout the past few years, Eschenberg has seen how language can be a barrier to their progression. Minoring in TESOL K-12, she knew how to better serve these kids and help them reach their potential.

Head Coach Heather Olmstead:
“Eschenberg is our rock, especially this year. She is the foundation of what is BYU volleyball. It is hard to put into words what Eschenberg has meant. She’s just been so solid from the minute she stepped on campus.”

“She is the most humble player I have ever coached, and the hardest worker. Eschenberg is eager to get better. She is eager for feedback from coaches. She connects with all her teammates and coaches. People are drawn to her, and she has continued to get better and better at volleyball. I could go on and on. Eschenberg is pretty special.”

Community

Eschenberg has served in her community through activities in local schools, churches, volleyball clubs, and training facilities.

Since 2019, she has helped students and teachers at three elementary schools in the Provo School District, totaling 800+ hours. She primarily focused on first, third, and fifth grade. She developed lesson plans and taught in the classroom. During the pandemic, she converted lesson plans to digital formats for use during online learning.

While attending BYU, Eschenberg actively involved herself in her religious community by serving women, children, and families in her local congregation. She served as the president of the children’s primary for two years. In this role, she helped teach religious lessons to children. For two years, she served as a counselor in the women’s Relief Society, which serves the women of the congregation. This also included coordinating social and service activities. Each week over the past five years, she served on average four hours per week, totaling over 1,000 hours of service.

In relation to volleyball, Eschenberg had opportunities to help train and coach both genders in the sport. Her main goal when coaching was to help instill work ethic, a passion for the game, and build self-confidence.

Competition

Eschenberg made her debut for BYU in 2017 and was named the WCC Freshman of the Year. She was named an AVCA All-America honorable mention the following season.

In 2019, Eschenberg started every match and starred in every set. She totaled 195 kills on .353 hitting, six assists, 18 digs and 134 blocks. On top of that, she became the 17th player in program history to reach 400 career blocks, racking up 425 during the season.

Following her junior year, Eschenberg was named to the All-WCC first team and an honorable mention of the AVCA Pacific South Region. BYU honored her as a Cougar Club Memorial Winner at the annual Y Awards. Additionally, Eschenberg played for the U.S. Collegiate National Team, participating in the World University Games in Italy.

In 2020 as a senior, Eschenberg started in 16 matches, appearing in 52 sets. Within the NCAA, she ranked sixth in average blocks per set (1.58) and 10th in hitting percentage (.435). She led her team in blocks (82) and racked up 135 kills with only 18 errors in 269 attempts. Eschenberg recorded a season-high of eight blocks on five separate occasions. At the end of her senior year, she received the following recognitions: AVCA All-American third team, AVCA Pacific South All-Region, All-WCC first team and the Y Award’s Lu Wallace Outstanding Senior Female Athlete.

Granted an extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic, Eschenberg took advantage of the opportunity to play. So far this season, she ranks second in the NCAA for hitting percentage, maintaining a .522 clip.

During her time at BYU, she has helped her team advance to the Sweet 16 in 2017 and 2020, as well as the Final Four in 2018. Three of her four seasons have resulted in clinching the WCC Championship.