Outside hitter Kira Hutson is in the midst of a memorable season with the nationally ranked Florida Gators. But her journey back to the top of the volleyball world has been full of exhilarating highs and aggravating lows. This Where Are They Now segment is presented by Grow Sports Psychology.
Mustangs stampede to their first state championship
The 2021 girls volleyball season was a magical one for Metea Valley and 6 ‘3 outside hitter Kira Hutson. The Mustangs, who had never even won a regional title before, went 40-2, defeating powerhouse Mother McAuley to win the 4A state championship, the first team state title in Metea history.
“It was so much fun. The camaraderie around the school was great. And we felt like celebrities, like everyone just kind of loved us just because we were on the volleyball team and we were doing good. But I just remember having a blast,” said Metea Valley alum Kira Hutson.
Only a junior, Hutson was named First Team All-State, First Team PrepVolleyball All-American, and announced her commitment to play collegiately at the University of Florida.
A lingering injury
Poised for a big senior year in the fall of 2022, tragedy struck in the opening weeks when Hutson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in a match against Benet Academy.
One year later, as a freshman at Florida, Hutson re-injured the same shoulder just three games into the season. Needing a second shoulder surgery, the damage was significant enough that she missed the rest of the 2023 season and the entire 2024 season.
The road back was long and frustrating, but Hutson persevered, finally returning to the court as a redshirt freshman in the fall of 2025.
“It showed me that I can show up during hard things, honestly. Like, you don’t really have a choice to like, choose if you’re going to come to practice and like, have a great attitude. Like, no, like that’s the expectation that you come and that you were there for like the people around you. Because maybe they’re not having a good day either. But like, we all have to be there,” said Hutson.
Last year, Hutson picked up where she left off with the Gators, starting 26 matches and setting new career highs in just about every category. But the work she puts in to keep improving and maintain the health of her shoulder is a constant grind.
“I’m still working back now. Like, it’s definitely not a finished product. It’s been very challenging, but at the same time, like having the support staff, my teammates, it’s helped me throughout this process. Florida’s probably one of the best schools. I could have ended up at because even given my situation, just because of the resources that we have, like the physical therapy or athletic training, the coaching staff, them wanting us to be healthy and happy when we’re playing,” said Hutson.
Shining on and off the court
Hutson made the most of her rehab time by doing work in the classroom as well, earning a degree in just three years, while being named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in back-to-back years.
“I actually just graduated from my undergrad in sports management. I’m starting my master’s in management right now, so that’s really cool. I get, like, a cool little SEC graduate patch on my jersey now. And also when they announce my name, they’re saying sophomore, and I’m graduated from college. So it’s kind of funny, but yeah,” said Hutson.
The 2026 Florida Gators are currently ranked fifth in the country by the AVCA with a record of 17-2, but Hutson prefers to utilize the longshot mentality that led her Metea Valley team to championship glory.
“You have to always go in with the underdog mentality. I love when people underestimate. And I think that right now we’re still a little bit underestimated just based on our performance last year. But like this is a whole new team. We have even more firepower when it comes to our coaching staff. We added some more people. There are new core roles to make our lives easier. I just can’t imagine that we’re not going to be great this year,” said Hutson.
Playing a role for another powerful program
When the NCAA tournament tips off next month, Hutson hopes she and her Gator teammates can make a similar run to a title, but the most important thing is that she is back playing the game she loves.
“I’d say it’s important not to compare your track, like where you’re starting and where you’re going to end up, because, I mean, I started pretty late, and comparison was definitely a thief of some of the joy I could have had in my early years of volleyball. And at the end of the day, like it’s a game and that gets lost a lot. And it’s still something I’m still learning now. Like it’s a game, like it’s meant to be fun,” said Hutson.
For Naperville Sports Weekly, I’m Justin Cornwell.
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