Jaymeson Kinley's journey to Butler was unconventional and trying at times, yet she has emerged as a leader for the Bulldogs and one of the best liberos in the BIG EAST.

The junior from Lexington, Ky., began her college career at Austin Peay, where she played during the 2018 season.

"I committed super early (to Austin Peay) at 15, and I just thought it was the place for me," Jaymeson said. "It turned out that school was not the place for me. I left after my first semester of my freshman year, went in the transfer portal and was just kind of waiting to be picked up or get calls. I started reaching out to people, and it didn't really happen, so I just went and enrolled in school in Lexington."

The plan was to take a semester of junior college classes before getting back to the volleyball court with a new team in time for the 2019 season. Jaymeson didn't get any offers, so she settled for another semester of junior college while waitressing at a restaurant to support herself.

That's when her former club coach Chris Beerman reached out to Butler head coach Sharon Clark via email. Clark remembered Jaymeson from watching her play club volleyball, but didn't get involved in the recruiting process since she committed early.

"I said, 'Well, how good could she be?'" Clark asked Beerman in a phone call after receiving the email. "We were talking about her sister (Keyton) who was playing at Oklahoma at the time and was Big 12 libero of the year. He said, 'Sharon, she has the potential to be better than both of her sisters.' I thought that was a huge statement. That's big for him to say because he knows the whole family well. He was 100 percent right."

Taking a chance on a player who had stepped away from the game for a year is not unheard of, but rare, and something Clark hasn't done with another recruit in over 20 years at Butler.

"We had discussions, and I'd say me along with the other assistant at the time might have been a little more hesitant than Sharon," assistant coach Sean Keeve said. "Sharon was like, 'I see something. I remember this kid from club [volleyball]. She just has the 'it' factor you can't really coach.'"

Jaymeson first heard from Clark early in the Fall 2019 semester, visited campus for Homecoming and became eager to accept an offer to join the team if she was extended one.

"I love the small campus," said Jaymeson on what attracted her to Butler. "I love the tight-knit community. The volleyball conference is super competitive, and I think Sharon's a very competitive coach."

She enrolled at Butler for the Spring 2020 semester and was on Spring Break with two of her teammates when she heard the news that the university would shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Having to be at home due to the pandemic presented a roadblock to her getting to bond with new teammates, but she said that virtual meetings and group chats helped acclimate her to the program.

Keeve mentioned that Jaymeson's first practice at Butler in the spring of 2020 was rough in that she was rusty coming off a year away from the game. However, she quickly shook that off and impressed the coaching staff with her improvement at practice.

Fast forward to the Spring 2021 season and Jaymeson started every match at libero for the Bulldogs except for two when she was out with a concussion. She enjoyed the competitiveness of the season, but was really looking forward to this fall when she could get the complete BIG EAST volleyball experience (split divisions in the spring called for Butler playing only Creighton, DePaul, Marquette and Xavier).

Jaymeson has channeled the excitement for this season into a potentially record-breaking performance. She leads the BIG EAST in total digs (406) and digs/set (5.34), which rank No. 7 and No. 10 nationally in those categories, respectively, through last weekend's matches. The digs/set mark is on pace to break Megan Knightly's season program record of 5.29 set in 2005.

Beyond the excellent performance, Jaymeson has taken on the role of a vocal leader for the team.

"There are a variety of things that Jay brings that you can't see in the box score," said Keeve. "The way that she demands [effort] of her teammates and herself is something that as coaches we say that we don't ever really have to talk to her as much or demand from her because she has a certain level of expectation that's even higher than we have for her, which is a coach's dream."

With her natural leadership qualities, Keeve expects her to be a successful coach someday if she wants to follow that career path.

In fact, teammates Amina Shackelford and Lauren Hughes already view her as a coach on the court. Hughes had a math class with Jaymeson in her first year at Butler, and all three became close after spending time together on roadtrips and hanging out off the court.

"She's like another coach for me," said Shackelford. "It's not just Sharon, Sean and Connor [Zimmick], it's Jay too. Even though Jay and I don't play the same position, she still tells me what to do, and I have no problem listening to her because I know she's always got my best interest at heart."

"She's a big role model for me," Hughes said. "Everything she does on the court as a [defensive specialist], that is something I'd love to be just like her when I'm older. I feel like she does a great job of adjusting how everyone plays and being a leader for everyone, not just us in the same position."

In over 20 years at Butler, Clark ranks Kinley among the top two to three leaders she's had as coach of the Bulldogs.

"Jay is that type of player who's the heartbeat of a program," beamed Clark. "When she's on the floor, she's got that magnetic personality that attracts other people to her.

"I've been really fortunate to have some really great leaders and captains and those who just led by example. All of their personalities were very different, but none of them has the charisma that she has."

In addition to the trying year off the volleyball court, Jaymeson has gone through other personal difficulties, such as when former coach and close family friend Beerman passed away at the age of 53 earlier this year. She's gone through a lot for someone only about two years into her college experience.

Thankfully, she has a great support system in older sisters Chandler and Keyton, who played volleyball at Northern Illinois and Oklahoma, respectively. The three sisters are very close, and the encouragement from her big sisters helped Jaymeson improve her volleyball skills while also boosting her confidence, which was particularly important in her year away from the game.

"They honestly just helped me be a competitor," said an emotional Jaymeson. "To always push myself, always push my teammates. They've helped me through the process of staying confident, too."

She should be confident, especially as her numbers put her in potential consideration for BIG EAST Libero of the Year.

"Jaymeson is great, and she's going to be even better," Clark said. "She's nowhere near the top of her ceiling, but she's going to get there."