After previously struggling through injuries during her collegiate career, redshirt junior outside hitter Kinley Gomez is making her presence known on the volleyball court this season for Northeastern. In her last four games, Gomez has notched three double-doubles and averaged 14 points per game. 

Growing up in Pueblo, Colorado, Gomez was introduced to volleyball by her older sisters and began playing with them around the age of eight before joining a team around the age of 11. Despite her current success, Gomez was unsure if she truly wanted to play volleyball in college until she was pushed by her club team coaches. After deciding to continue to the next level, Gomez chose Northeastern because she fell in love with the campus and the academics. 

“It’s great to have co-op to start experience in your career, and I wanted something different,” Gomez said.

This season is Gomez’s first full year with Northeastern’s women’s volleyball team after injuries prevented her from playing in the first two years of her collegiate career. 

Entering her freshman year, Gomez, who just came back after recovering from back surgery, reinjured her back during the preseason. The Husky underwent another back surgery following her freshman year, leaving her on the sidelines for the entirety of her sophomore season to recover. 

Stubborn and itching to get back out on the court, Gomez struggled throughout healing, eager to reenter the action.

“I very strongly disliked having to recover,” Gomez said. “I just wanted to get back to it and play volleyball, but there’s no way of feeling normal without taking care of yourself. I found that out the hard way after surgery and getting hurt again. ”

Last season, Gomez was back on the court, but not to the extent she is now. Notching her first kill at Northeastern last year remains her favorite career memory thus far. 

“It just made me so happy to realize that I was back playing again,” Gomez said. 

This year, Gomez has taken on a major role on the team as a leader and a vital part of the team’s success. As of Oct. 8, she has racked up 118 kills, 100 digs and 147.5 points this season.

Coming back from an injury was not only mentally challenging for Gomez, but physically, too. Injury is taxing on an athlete’s body, and Gomez had to figure out how to play in an entirely new way.

“That was really hard mentally for me to not be able to physically move a way I used to be able to move,” Gomez said. “Having to almost deal with a new body because of my injury was difficult.”

Gomez emphasized the extent to which her teammates helped her through the injury and recovery process, and said they continue to contribute to her success. 

“What keeps me going in volleyball is definitely the support I have for my teammates because they’re always there for me if I need them for anything, and I definitely wouldn’t have come this far without them,” Gomez said. “There is no individuality to it, so knowing that when I’m back row or front row my teammates have my back makes it a lot easier to be able to be smart with the ball.” 

Junior libero Ellie Williams credits Gomez for always being there for her teammates and never giving up when faced with challenges. 

“Kinley has a very strong personality,” Williams said. “She is felt by everybody who’s around her and not around her. Even when she’s not at practice, you think about her. [She is] one of those types of people whose presence is enough to motivate you to be better and not even just [in volleyball].”

Gomez said her long-term injury was a setback for her career, but it also altered her view of the game. 

“Regarding my progression [of skills] over the years, it felt like it wasn’t there anymore for a really long time until I constantly got back into the game,” Gomez said. “It has definitely shifted my perspective of the game in being a lot smarter with how I play balls so that we can get the point earlier, instead of tiring out physically, because that takes a strain on your body — just building a better IQ for myself so that I can keep going physically and not injure myself.” 

Head coach Lenika Vazquez said Gomez’s success and ability to overcome adversity and injuries is a showcase of her tenacity. 

“She’s going to fight through and push through everything because that’s what she wants,” Vazquez said. “She’s been through a lot, and for her to come in and still enjoy the sport is phenomenal and just speaks to her mental toughness.” 

Especially grateful for the time she gets on the court, Gomez’s mindset in games now is just to have fun. 

“For so long, I took volleyball for granted because I was playing, and then when I stopped playing, I was like this really, really sucks,” Gomez said. “My approach now is that I’m grateful to be on the court again, so just being able to have fun while playing, that’s it.”

Sitting at an even 7-7 for the season so far, Gomez is excited to see what the team does for the remainder of the year.

“I think that we have a really great foundation to build up off of,” Gomez said. “We have a lot of young players who have just come in, have a lot of presence here and are some of the best teammates that I’ve seen in a really long time,” Gomez said. “I think that this season will go really well as long as we keep building our connections, trust each other and work hard for each other.”

A bigger goal remains in Gomez’s mind: to win the CAA tournament. Last year, the Huskies lost in the first round of the tournament to Campbell University, 3-0.

“It’s been so long since Northeastern has [won a conference championship], so I think that would be a really big accomplishment,” Gomez said. “Especially with this group, I think we have the potential to do that.” 

Despite currently working through a concussion, if any player is able to come back stronger, it’s Gomez. Perseverance and dedication are the mottos she spreads to other athletes.  

“There are going to be a lot of hard things that come your way, but it all depends on how you persevere through those hard things that’ll get you to where you want to go,” Gomez said. “There is no right decision. You just have to make the decision.” 

“She is a pleasure and a delight,” Vazquez said. “Kinley Gomez is going to do some pretty awesome things in the future, so keep an eye out for her.”