FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (July 5, 2022) – With the graduation of four-year setter
Aubrea Bandfield, Northern Arizona head volleyball coach
Ken Murphy reloaded at the position with
Keira Hall, the state's top setter, signing her National Letter of Intent last November.
Hall, a 5-10 setter out of Scottsdale, was named to the Arizona Republic's All-Arizona First Team following her senior season at Horizon High School. Leading Horizon to the 2021 5A State Championship and a 38-5 record, Hall was also selected to the 5A All-Conference First Team and 5A Northeast Valley All-Region First Team for the third consecutive year.
"Keira is a great all-around player," Murphy said. "Over the last couple of years, she really developed as a setter and became a great leader on her team and that's where some of the recognition she's gotten comes from. She's a great defender and she has a great sense for making the little plays that help her team be successful. She'll bring a lot to the team that won't show up in the stats and we're excited about the impact she'll have not only right away, but over the course of her career."
Hall averaged 10.5 assists per set last fall and set a new Horizon single-season school record with 1,112 assists – capping her career total at 2,602. Her 1,112 assists led all of 5A and also ranked second in the entire state. In addition to her record-breaking assist total, Hall also recorded 250 digs, 44 aces and 85 kills in her final season.
A two-time team MVP as a junior and senior, Hall also earned recognition on the national level, garnering All-America Honorable Mention distinction from Prepvolleyball.com. She was also named All-Region by AVCA and was a two-time AVCA Phenom.
At the end of her junior season in 2020, Hall was named the Northeast Valley Region Player of the Year, while also collecting Tournament MVP honors at the 2019 USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship (15 American) the year prior.
Q&A with Keira Hall
Q: What was it about NAU or NAU Volleyball that excited you when committing?
A: I really thought that the coaches were great and I had a great time talking to them during the recruiting process. I bonded with them and also my teammates on my official visit. I also really like Flagstaff. We have a cabin in Munds Park, so we're used to going up there.
Q: What do you bring specifically to the volleyball court?
A: I bring a lot of competitiveness to the court and good connections with my teammates. That helps with telling them what plays we're going to run and where I want them to be (to set them).
Q: What is one word to describe you as a volleyball player?
A: Competitive. I like to win.
Q: What is the one thing away from the volleyball court you're hoping to accomplish or explore over the next four years in Flagstaff?
A: Making a lot of new friends and connections.
Q: You recently came back from Greece, and you've also traveled to England and Italy. Where was your favorite location amongst the three?
A: Probably England. I went there for my 13th birthday and enjoyed it there. I really liked the culture. We went to Big Ben and the big carousel. It was fun. Greece is a very close second though.
Q: One of your hobbies is playing the piano. When did you start playing?
A: I was probably around 11 or 12 years old. I'm not the best at it. I like to do it for fun. I'll look up songs to play, but I'm not very experienced at it. I like to do it in my free time.
Q: Among other schools, you were recruited by Yale and Columbia in the Ivy League. How important is academics in your life?
A: It's very important. I've been in gifted and honors classes pretty much all throughout school and I'll be in the Honors College at NAU this year.
Q: What is one fun fact about yourself?
A: I really like baking. I used to bake a lot with my grandma. My favorite thing to bake is cookies. They're easy, but they turn out really well.
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