Volleyball is a vital part of who Kendall Mignerey is, but it is her performance in the classroom that has allowed her play on the court to shine even brighter, as she was named Ponte Vedra High’s November student-athlete of the month.
“An award like this shows who you are as a person, and it’s not just all about what you do on the court,” Mignerey said. “It means a lot to see all my hard work pay off.”
Mignerey is a senior and has been a major cog in the Sharks’ volleyball squad that won back-to-back state titles and recently played for a third straight.
However, she understands it is her good grades that have allowed her the opportunity to sign with Florida Atlantic University to play beach volleyball once she graduates this year.
Finding the balance between practicing and making sure her homework is done for school the next day has been something that has come with time.
“I remember during my freshman and sophomore years being so stressed out with school, because there is a lot more workload and a lot of responsibility on yourself to study and earn those grades,” Mignerey said.
One of the things that has stood out to Mignerey since she was given the honor, is the overwhelming support she has received from her volleyball teammates.
“To know that they have always been there for me along the way is pretty great,” Mignerey said.
She is not sure what she wants to pursue as a career after college, but she is leaning toward a path into the medical or environmental science fields.
Her weighted GPA is 4.39 with math and science being more of her strong suits.
“Ever since I was little, I’ve always enjoyed math and doing number games in my head,” Mignerey said.
Her interest was peaked after taking an AP environmental science course last year at PVHS.
“It was a very different than any other science class I had ever taken,” Mignerey said. “I enjoyed it because it was real world and talked about the stuff going on around us. I’m really into environmental science because I think it’s so relevant to society today.”
Mignerey’s sister Logan already attends FAU as a sophomore and is studying biology and looking into the marine aspects of it. She also plays beach volleyball for the Owls.
Mignerey has been playing indoor volleyball as long as she can remember, but I probably got serious about playing on a team in second or third grade.
According to Mignerey, the biggest differences between indoor and beach volleyball is that there are only two players in beach compared to several on the court at the same time in indoor.
“On the beach you kind of have to do it all,” Mignerey said.
She was part of the inaugural season for the beach volleyball program at Ponte Vedra, and the hope is to do it again this year.
“Volleyball is honestly just like a way of life,” Mignerey said. “It has given me with all of my closest friends, and it has just provided so much for me.”
