Tunnel Vision: Richards Finds Her Light
Patience and grit lead Rams’ blocker to the spotlight
Liv Sewell
There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. No matter how many winding turns or roadblocks, the end comes into sight and the sky begins to open up.
For Colorado State middle block Kekua Richards, the tunnel stretched long and rough, paved with injuries which turned her first seasons into a slow crawl. Those setbacks were speed bumps – jolting and frustrating – but they never dimmed her drive or affection of the game.
“I think when you have to sit on the sidelines for that long and just watch, it makes you more passionate for the game and appreciate it a little bit more,” Richards said. “Being able to watch all my little freshies and teammates grow and see them from the side helped me learn what I can do to help them. Even though being injured sucks, it’s a very big learning lesson for yourself.”
Now the lights are coming into view. As this season ramped up, Richards has been a force – posting a career-high 13 blocks against Cal State Northridge and 12 kills against Eastern Washington. The surge marked the first true glimmer of daylight, her body finally matching the vision she’d clung to through the darkest stretches.
Her hip surgery was another bend in the tunnel, but it never blocked the glow ahead.
“She’s been really patient and working hard in her two years developing,” coach Emily Kohan said. “And in the era of transfer portals, sometimes the easy answer is not to stay and work hard and wait for your turn. I give her a lot of credit for believing in the process and believing in her developmental opportunities even as a practice player.
“As she had her hip surgery and she’s coming back, she has been really motivated to be one of the next great middle blockers for CSU. She wants to take ownership in being a great defensive blocker on the court.”
The Rams have a long lineage to follow. Just last season, fifth-year blocker Naeemah Weathers led the Mountain West in hitting percentage while also earning all-conference honors.
Now Richards is carving her own place in that line. She’s no longer a stranger to recognition, earning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week after CSU volleyball’s two road wins the week of Sept. 8 and each match shows more of the drive which carried her through the dark stretches.
“I think I’m very passionate,” Richards said. “Even if I’m not doing good or if I’m doing super good, I try to keep my energy toward my teammates and everyone around me very consistent. A big thing that I’ve been working on is if I’m not playing well myself, I pick someone or a couple people to constantly be there for—just to keep my mind off it for a while.”
That steady energy shows up when the scoreboard tilts the wrong way. Her passion shifts in tough moments, rallying for better even when hope flickers.
I want to be that pillar for everyone here they can come to when they need help.Kekua Richards
And her care extends far beyond the court. For many teammates, Richards is only a phone call away.
“She cares deeply for her friends,” roommate Eve Wilson said. “She’ll really protect any of our teammates if something’s going on. It’s huge to just have a leader who will have your back in hard moments. If our younger players are struggling in regular things -- not even volleyball related -- she’s the first phone call for a lot of people.”
A comforting voice of reason in a moment of darkness.
And yet, the gentle presence comes wrapped in a frame built to dominate a net. At 6-foot-9, Richards is a towering silhouette, the kind of player opponents spot the moment they step on the court. Her teammates may turn to her for calm, but rivals can’t ignore the shadow she casts across the hardwood.
“She’s a captain now and I think the team looks to her for what the tone on defense is supposed to be,” Kohan said. “Her size is obviously formidable out there and people are aware of it. They’re changing the way they swing or the way they have to block against her. She creates a lot of attentions when she’s out there and she’s a big personality.”
The defensive tone has shifted, and Richards is a big part of it. She has taken on leadership role which is undeniable.
And with authority she knows it starts with caring for herself – a lesson carved out of the darkest miles of her tunnel.
“The relationships with myself and my body is my top priority,” Richards said. “I feel like, I’m very much a selfless person when I try to give and give to others and then I don’t really take for myself. So, I think the injuries I went through, especially my surgery, was a very selfish moment I had to do for myself. It made me learn that myself and my health, both physically and mentally is my top priority. I need to focus on that in order to give back to my teammates.”
We all need to be selfish sometimes; it’s impossible to give from an empty cup.
A perspective which now radiates outward, turning her own recovering in a beacon for other teammates facing their own setbacks. Even if it wasn’t intentional.
“We have a lot of people out with injuries and it’s inspiring to realize there is an after, it’s not all bad,” Wilson said.
And that’s what’s important to keep in mind at the end of the day. It will eventually end.
The suffering is finite but the prospect of things getting better stays constant. Setbacks may differ but support doesn’t.
“My passion has always been helping,” Richards said. “I’m a big people person so I love making connections with new people. Being able to be that person for someone else, it was something I didn’t have when I was going through some stuff. And so, I want to be that pillar for everyone here they can come to when they need help.”
A quiet strength which waits in the wings on game day.
When the final warm-ups end and the public-address voice echoes. The crowd’s noise seeps through the cinder-block walls, a steady thrum that builds slowly.
Richards waits near the back, head slightly bowed, the faint scuff of sneakers and the pop of a volleyball echoing ahead of her. Then the doors swing open and a burst of arena light spills across the floor. The sound becomes a single, rising cheer.
She steps forward, shoulders straight, and the bright court stretches in front of her. Each stride takes her from the cool shadow of the tunnel into the full glare of the lights, her long frame casting a sharp outline across the net.
The tunnel behind her is dark. The court is all light.
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