Student-Athlete Of The Month: Kennedy Smith

Senior Kennedy Smith puts on a show every time she steps onto the court during a match for the Broadneck High School volleyball team.

Bruins supporters give the 6-foot Kennedy a loud ovation when she jumps up two or three feet and spikes a ball for a kill. She does it often, averaging 11 kills per game through mid-October.

“Other kids score points, but she brings people to their feet,” Broadneck volleyball coach Tracey Regalbuto explained. “A lot of times, kids from other teams will duck or cover their faces. I’m on the other side of the net during practice, and it is scary.”

Her kills aren’t just for entertainment. Smith, a two-year co-captain, helps the Bruins win – and a lot.

They got off to a sizzling 10-2 start this season, won the county championship behind Smith’s team-leading 21 kills, and are coming off an appearance in the Class 4A state championship game, where Broadneck lost in three sets to two-time title winner Richard Montgomery. That’s only the second time the Bruins have advanced that far in Regalbuto’s 11 years on the job.

Kennedy guided Broadneck to the state final with a stellar performance (10 kills, four digs) in a sweep of Perry Hall in the final four.

Regalbuto, who also praised Kennedy for commitment to academics, volunteerism and coaching young volleyball players, considers Broadneck to be a more experienced team than last year’s squad. The Bruins returned 11 of 14 players to the varsity, including five starters.

Of course, Smith figures to be leading the way if the Bruins reach the state championships again. As of mid-October, she had 136 kills and was on pace to set the Broadneck single-season record with 236.

“It would be amazing,” Smith said of winning a state championship. “Since I am a senior, we are more pumped and really trying to go after it. We are really connecting well this season.”

Smith could play volleyball in college — and at a high level — if that was her goal.

“I think Kennedy could play Division I volleyball,” Regalbuto said of Smith, who also had played for the Bay Area Volleyball Club (BAVC) for four years.

But Smith plans to play club volleyball and concentrate on academics in college. She wants to be a psychologist and open a group of mental health clinics in California.

“People ask me all the time, ‘Are you going to play volleyball in college?’ They are shocked,” Smith said. “When I explain I want to go to a big college in California, they understand more.”

The 18-year-old Smith carries a 4.25 weighted grade-point average and has a strong desire to attend college in California. She applied to eight schools from the state with University of Southern California; University of California, Santa Barbara; and Loyola Marymount topping her list.

Smith, who is also eyeing to earn a master’s and doctorate from the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in California, will have taken 11 Advanced Placement classes by the time she graduates from Broadneck.

Volunteerism, exploring her career field and helping blossoming volleyball players is important to Smith, too.

Smith shows her character and willingness to give through her volunteer work. She prepares and serves food to the needy at the Light House shelter in Annapolis on the first Wednesday of every month. She collected 15 large trash bags of men’s clothing from around her Arnold neighborhood as well as about 800 pairs of socks that were given to Light House.

With an abundance of enthusiasm, Smith tutors players at BAVC clinics as well as Broadneck summer camps.

She also focuses sharply on learning more about her career goal. Smith also participated in a forensic science course at UCLA, psychology course at University of California, Berkeley and an emergency medicine course at Georgetown. These courses were for select students from across the country.

“I definitely never had an athlete that does as much as her,” Regalbuto said. “Like contributions to the community and the other things.”

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