Peyton Clary has left her mark on Kenston Forest School history with a performance on the volleyball court this season that drew her prestigious conference- and now state-level accolades.

Not only did the senior middle hitter earn the title of Virginia Colonial Conference (VCC) girls volleyball Player of the Year, she has now been named to the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic aAssociation (VISAA) Division III all-state first team.

“It’s quite an honor,” Lady Kavaliers Head Coach Jannon Coley said. “… I think probably Peyton is one of the first ones — I know probably from (Kenston Forest) — to make first team all-state in volleyball. So, that’s quite an accomplishment, because I think that Division III is very competitive.”

Clary helped Kenston Forest go 18-7 overall this season. The Lady Kavs finished as co-regular season conference champions, they finished as conference tournament runners-up and they advanced as far as the quarterfinals in the state tournament.

“Starting out, I never would have expected this to happen to me,” Clary said of all the accolades. “It has been a complete dream of mine to have this. (At) the beginning of the season, it started off a little rough. (I) had a knee injury, and my coach has helped me through this the entire time. And my family, without their support, I never would have made it to where I am today. And to have these honors is my greatest dream ever.”

The recognition is a testament to her dominance on the court given that she missed eight matches due to the knee injury.

“I worked really hard to be where I’m at today,” she said, “and I definitely knew I had to push myself 10 times harder…”

Clary aims to play volleyball at the college level and is in the process of selecting a school.