By Walter Scott Jr.
Two Thomas Dale boys’ volleyball alums received accolades and good news over the past week.
Will Kimenhour, a 2019 graduate, earned a spot on the United States national volleyball team.
“Will will forever be an example of [the ideal that]if you work hard, good things will happen,” said Thomas Dale boys’ volleyball coach Joshua Forbes. “Will struggled early in his career at Dale, but through hard work, he turned himself into one of the best we have ever had. The players at Dale currently remember how he went about his business and strive to follow in his footsteps.”
To be one of the best the school has ever had, you have to be in the company of such greats as Michael Blankenbecler and Brandon Joyner.
As a senior, Kimenhour won 2018 Region 6A and state player of the year as the Knights were state runners-up to Blankenbecler’s James River. Kimenhour racked up 421 kills and 150 blocks. He is currently playing Division I volleyball at the University of Charleston.
“This is a huge honor for Will in many ways,” Forbes said. “Coming from this area, it is hard to get noticed when compared to volleyball hotbeds like California and Chicago. He has continued to impress with every opportunity he has been given becoming the Dale player to make a US National team.”
This comes on the heels of a productive freshman season in which Kimenhour saw action in nine games, recording 40 kills.
Kimenhour’s one-time teammate, class of 2020 grad Jacob Craig, is also headed to Charleston, and he has received news that he will receive honors as one of 26 students nationwide as an “AthLeader” from the Junior Volleyball Association. On the association’s website, the award recipients are described as following:
“This year the JVA awards committee has selected six male and 20 female student athletes who are at the top of their class, and along with academic excellence, they exemplify outstanding volleyball performance, leadership, responsibility, and selflessness.”
Upon hearing from Craig’s teammates and coaches, the assessment lines right up.
“We at Thomas Dale are very proud of Jacob for winning this award,” Forbes said. “Jacob is a shining example for all of our athletes to achieve both on and off the court.
Craig, a setter, will go down as one of Thomas Dale’s best as well. He finished his career with 1,420 assists, including 608 during his senior year. He, too, was an important part of the Knights’ state runner-up season.
In the seventh grade, Craig was the volleyball team’s manager. Forbes cited his ability to “sponge up” all the information he saw and what he learned from being around the volleyball team, then translate it into his own talent.
“That passion for learning both on and off the court have become cultural pillars for our program,” Forbes said. “Part of the reason for that is because of Jacob.”
