Centennial High School’s Kayla Dunlap Thrives With Vanderbilt Volleyball

Vanderbilt University has been a member of the SEC since its founding in 1933, boasting many D1 teams. But for the past 45 years, they’ve been without volleyball until now.

As NCAA volleyball grew in popularity, Vanderbilt decided to bring back the sport it had cut in 1980. The announcement came in 2022, and the first competition season was set for 2025-26. Now 17 games into its first season back, Vanderbilt volleyball has seen several stars rise among its roster. Among those is Williamson County’s own freshman middle Kayla Dunlap.

Dunlap is the first hometown athlete for the Commodores’ Volleyball team, something which has brought an extra level of energy to the team.

“It [means] a little bit more when you have friends and family at every single home match,” said Vanderbilt Volleyball Head Coach Anders Nelson. “The cheers are pretty loud for her when she gets introduced and she does take a lot of pride in [getting to play for her city].”

Though Dunlap hadn’t initially intended to stay in the area, she said that she was glad she had.

“I feel more of a sense of pride when we’re playing at home,” Dunlap said, smiling. “I grew up around here. I know Nashville. I also feel that connection with the fans, ‘cause I’ll talk to people after the games … and I know a lot about the experiences they went through. I like being the person that can tell them, ‘hey, you can be from here and stay home and be able to have these great experiences.’”

For Dunlap, it’s a lot more than just getting to represent her hometown, though.

“It’s nice to kind of be one of the faces … to show people that Middle Tennessee is pretty great at volleyball, and we’re competitive, and inspire more young girls to reach into the sport, because who knows what you can do,” Dunlap said.

Nelson adds: “She [talks] about the little girls after her who are going to have this opportunity and her as a role model. But she [also says she’s] doing it for the people before her as well, who couldn’t play here. What a mature mindset for someone so young.”

Attending high school at Centennial, and growing up in Williamson County right outside the city limits, Dunlap calls Nashville home.

“It kind of emphasizes that family or familiar feeling, with the team and the whole city,” Dunlap said. “Nashville’s been my home for such a long time and I couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else.”

Despite being a freshman and only 18, Kayla has quickly solidified her place on the team. She graduated high school six months early to join the team, and Nelson said she’s already more than earned the right to start for the team.

“Kayla is one of the more eager learners I’ve ever been around,” Nelson said. “She’s just a sponge in terms of how much she wants to learn … She has our defensive systems memorized, she has our philosophies and playbook down to a science. She’s super eager that way, which is really fun to be around.”

Dunlap remained humble, giving the credit to her coaches and her teammates for her current success.

“I have really great role models on my team that made it really easy for me to learn what the program was about,” Dunlap said. “I give credit to them for helping me come and feel that [welcome], that this was a place for me to learn and grow.

“The coaches have really emphasized me growing myself and my game knowledge, and that’s also something that helps me [not] focus on … the pressure. I do feel the pressure, and make those younger player mistakes, and I still feel supported cause they work me through it.”

Dunlap came to Vanderbilt because she wanted the opportunity to “challenge every aspect and shatter my ceiling in every area of my life.” Nelson says not only is Dunlap a good person, but she’s in the sport for the right reasons.

“She’s team first always, and has a lot of pride in the program and where she’s gonna leave it when she graduates,” Nelson said.

Though she didn’t initially intend to choose Vanderbilt, she said that the decision “took a lot of bravery and willingness to be first and not next.” Now, it’s a decision she’s glad she made.

“[Coming] from Nashville, there’s an expectation for people of high excellence to come from there,” Dunlap said. “It’s just another opportunity for me to shock people with what we can do.”