If home is where the heart is, Jessica and Kayla Kmitta are
always there.
The twins from Mount Vernon, Ill., weren’t necessarily planning
on going away to the same college, but in a simple twist of fate,
Saint Louis University’s volleyball program attracted both twins
and both decided St. Louis would be their new home.
“We knew the possibility of going to different schools was
fairly good, but all the schools that were recruiting us were
recruiting us together,” Kayla said. “Saint Louis was both of our
picks.”
The twins began playing volleyball their freshman year of high
school as a way to stay in shape for basketball season, and it
wasn’t until their sophomore year of high school that they knew
they wanted to play volleyball in high school.
“We come from an area where you eat, sleep and breathe
basketball,” Jessica said. “Some schools recruited us for
basketball, but we said we wanted to play volleyball. Kayla and I
were in between height-wise and we would have been overlooked by
the type of school we wanted. Maybe [we chose volleyball] because
it was so new; we weren’t burnt out on it at all. I don’t regret it
at all.”
Kayla and Jessica led their high school team to an Illinois
Regional Championship their senior year. Kayla averaged almost five
kills a game and led the team in overall kills with 374.
Jessica averaged over four kills a game and had almost 300 kills
to her credit but showed a special knack for serving as she led the
team in service aces with 68.
Both girls were All-Conference and All-Southern Illinois
selections as seniors.The twins made an instant impact on the team
their freshman year. Jessica saw more playing time than Kayla, due
to Kayla’s season-ending knee injury.
Jessica developed on the court and quickly became a force to be
reckoned with as an outside hitter, while Kayla developed strong
relationships with her teammates and worked through
rehabilitation.
Jessica has migrated on the court to a new position. After playing
as an outside hitter during her freshman season with the Billikens,
Jessica anchored the back row last year as a defensive specialist
and now has moved back to the front row, alternating between the
right side and the middle.Having both twins on the floor adds a
unique flair to the team’s chemistry, since there is an innate bond
already shared between the girls.
“We’ve played together longer than anyone on the team,” Kayla
said. “Maybe we have that ‘twin telepathy;’ we know where we are on
the floor, what the other is going to do and it’s a chemistry
between us.”
The young Billiken team can look to the twins for leadership on
and off the court.
The twins provide a and yin and yang sort of leadership, with
Kayla providing vocal support for her teammates and working to
develop bonds, while Jessica, often quieter, leads her teammates by
the example of her work ethic and drive.
Jessica’s and Kayla’s performances on the court complement each
other in the same manner as their leadership. Kalya is third on the
team in kills with 58 thus far, while Jessica leads the team
defensively with 93 digs.
With complementary leadership abilities and complementary
strengths on the court, neither twin has any regrets about coming
to SLU two years ago.
In fact, they are glad to have been given the chance to play
together for four more years.
“We’ve never been separated. I’m glad we stayed together,” Kayla
said. “Going away to college is a difficult time since you have to
get used to being away from home and seeing different faces. But
with her here, it feels like coming home.”
