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Kari Chavez is synonymous with winning and excellence. Eastern Washington’s Area Director for National Scouting Report, she was a top-tier volleyball player at Eisenhower High School in Yakima, Wash., in 1997.
Recruited by more than 80 colleges, Chavez knows first-hand the demands associated with recruiting at the highest level.
“I was recruited by schools from the PAC-10 (now PAC-12), West Coast, Big Sky, Big-10 and Mountain West conferences along with lots of D-IIs,” said Chavez, 38. “I enjoyed the attention I got. When coaches were at our court, I tried to show off as much as possible. I loved the recruiting process. I had no pressure.
“Playing volleyball gave me self-confidence. I was shy and not confident about myself unless I was on the court. As I started getting recruited, my confidence got better. All of my teammates were also getting recruited. We had great high school and club teams. I received packets in the mail and hand-written letters all the time. But because my family didn’t know anything about the [recruiting] process, I just filled out the questionnaires and didn’t do anything else. I remember thinking, ‘Where’s Pepperdine? Who’d want to go to a school with that name?’ I was clueless.
“In the end, I chose New Mexico State. I loved the campus and the beautiful desert scenery.”
However, a serious back injury curtailed her ability to compete and started her down an arduous journey which included transferring to three other schools as she worked her way back onto the volleyball court.
“Doctors left and right told me I’d never play again, so I went to Yakima Valley [Wash.] Community College and was a student for a year,” said Chavez, then known as Kari St. Martin.
But her desire to play again was stronger than her doctors’ opinions. Time away from the sport had stirred her competitive juices and her need to return to the court.
“I asked the coach if I could play, so I did for a year,” she said. “The [competition] level wasn’t strenuous on my back.”
Her exceptional skills as a setter brought her lots of attention. Named to the 1996 National Junior College Athletic Association’s All-America team, as well as Female Athlete of the Year at her school, Chavez started hearing from college coaches again.
“I had a number of choices,” Chavez said. “I chose Portland State.”
However, her back didn’t cooperate. “After a couple weeks of training, I wasn’t able to move or even open a door,” she said. “Doctors again told me I was done, so I transferred to Central Washington to just go to school.”
That year off helped her ailing back. Once at Central Washington, she approached head volleyball coach Mario Andaya and told him about her situation. She told him she believed she could play, but the added strain of daily practices was the tipping point for her. After a number of discussions, the coach offered Chavez a scholarship and agreed to limit her off-day activities.
It was a great decision for Chavez and the team. Chavez made the All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference team and was named team MVP following the 1999 and 2000 seasons. Not bad for someone who was twice told by specialists she would never play volleyball again.
Following college, Chavez became a student assistant coach at Central Washington before accepting a full-time assistant coaching job at Gonzaga University in 2002. She held that job for six years before choosing to be a stay-at-home mom. She also took time off to have much needed back surgeries. Today, Chavez is fully healed, still coaches club volleyball and plays the sport she loves as a member of Team Evergreen in the Premier Volleyball League. In 2007, she married David Chavez. The couple live in Spokane, Wash., with their 6-year-old son, Tyler.
“My injury took me on a really long path, but I’m happy I had so many opportunities and had the pleasure of playing at CWU for awesome teammates and coaches,” Chavez said. “Then, being hired at Gonzaga led to the family I have here, friends I met after college, and a professional playing experience.”
That journey eventually took her to National Scouting Report.
“I’m doing something for a career that I’m passionate about,” Chavez said. “I’ve seen too many athletes not get recruited that should have. I was recruited. I’ve coached club [volleyball] for 20 years and now help my NSR prospects get recruited. I was a college coach that did the recruiting. I’ve been on all sides of recruiting. My experiences help guide athletes. I’m lucky to have the life I have and to continue to help these young athletes in every sport.”
What does she advise NSR prospects who have a chance to be recruited by big-time colleges?
National Scouting Report is dedicated to finding scholarship opportunities for athletes who possess the talent, desire, and motivation to compete at the collegiate level. We’ve helped connect thousands of athletes with their perfect college.