By Tim Wester
Sports Correspondent
For many 15-year-old kids, the only commitment they make for the summer is to avoid doing chores around the house.
But in the case of 15-year-old Union Grove junior Kylie Wilks, her summer commitment was to play volleyball for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
In just two seasons in high school as a setter, Wilks has led the Broncos to two straight WIAA Division 1 Regional Championships, including the school’s first-ever top-10 ranking and first-ever trip to the sectional finals this past fall.
Wilks also earned first team All-Southern Lakes Conference honors, along with an honorable mention all-state nomination with 570 assists, 83 service aces, 369 digs, and 339 kills.
The standout volleyball player’s list of accomplishments drew interest from many colleges, including a few Big 10 and ACC schools.
But the allure of playing close to home at UW-Milwaukee was just too much to pass up for Wilks.
“I was just really sure about UW-Milwaukee,” Wilks said. “I’m a really big family person and being close to home became a big factor. When I realized I can stay close to home and my family can come and watch me, I realized this was a really good option.”
Wilks added: “It was definitely a really big decision for me since I’m 15 and all. To already be planning my future at a young age is a big decision.”
Wilks’ decision to commit to college before her junior season is becoming a trend for many high school volleyball players. In fact, a growing number of freshman girls are making college commitments.
“My decision was definitely really soon in the process, but committing early is common in high school girls volleyball,” Wilks said. “I think the reason for early commitments in volleyball is that it’s all about finding the best girls as soon as possible, before they commit to another school. By the time girls get to their junior season, many of them have already committed, so schools sometimes miss out.”
Wilks, who shows poise well beyond her age, said she wasn’t nervous about her college commitment, having watched her two older sisters go through the process.
“I’m not nervous because both of my sisters played college volleyball,” Wilks said. “They’ve been through the recruiting process, so it’s helped me be prepared for the process. If you asked my oldest sister, she would admit that she was nervous going through the process, so I got to see that and learn from that.”
Playing club volleyball on a big stage certainly doesn’t hurt, either.
Wilks recently competed at volleyball AAU Nationals in Florida with her Wisconsin Juniors 16-1 Club volleyball team from Kenosha. The juniors finished 43rd out of 80 teams in the open division.
“Nationals went OK, but the girls hoped to finish better,” said Wilks, who was a member of the Wisconsin Juniors 14 team a couple years ago. “But overall we had a good season and had a lot of fun.”
Now with nationals out of the way and a college decision made, Wilks is shifting her focus on the fall high school volleyball season with the goal of making it to the state tournament.
“Going to state is on my mind, and I’m really excited about the potential of our team to finally make it there,” Wilks said. “We are losing three seniors, but our underclassmen are talented enough to where we could be just as talented as last year’s team.”
With Wilks leading the way, the Broncos will certainly be a force to reckoned with this fall.
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