Kiki Kornegay made a name for herself as a three-sport athlete at Richlands High, but now she is trying to make an impact at the school in a different way.
“I feel like I always gave Richlands my all … and I thought it would be an adventure to come back to the school as a leader in a different way as a teacher and a coach,” she said. “If I can give my all as a student and a player, I should be able to give it my all as a teacher and a coach.”
Kornegay graduated from Richlands in 2020, and returned to the school last year as a biology and physical science teacher. She also now goes as coach as she is in her first season as the Wildcats’ volleyball head coach.
Kornegay took over for longtime coach Ashton Allgood, who stepped away before the start of the season.
“It has been great having Kiki return to Richlands as a teacher and as a coach,” Athletic Director Mike Kelly said. “She was an outstanding athlete as a student and has the making of a great coach.”
Kornegay played volleyball, basketball and softball at Richlands before she graduated from Elizabeth City State University, where she also played volleyball for two seasons.
She recalled having conversations with Kelly about returning to the school to teach and coach. Kornegay didn’t think much of it at first, but the more she thought about coming back, the more she liked the idea of being a Wildcat once again.
Before taking over as volleyball coach, Kornegay was an assistant softball coach this past spring.
“Initially, teaching wasn’t the route for me when I was in college, but then I decided to give it a go,” she said. “It’s definitely been fun going over how to play volleyball, but there is more to it than just being a coach. You have to be a lot more organized when it comes to what goes into each day.
“As the days go by, I get more comfortable with being the head coach. Being a coach can be challenging because I have to keep in mind that I have more experience in the sport than the players and that they are still growing.”
Kornegay made her game debut Tuesday when the Wildcats fell in three sets at East Duplin. Richlands visits South Lenoir on Wednesday before visiting Southwest on Thursday.
The Wildcats look to improve on last year’s 8-14 season. They were 14-10 in 2023.
Kornegay said she wants her players to improve, but also have fun this season.
“They should know that when we come in to practice, we want to learn something every day and try to get better every say,” she said. “We don’t have time to play around, be lazy or hesitate. But what I try to make sure is that it’s fun.
“We all get along and we will laugh and have inside jokes, but I expect them to be competitive, to show compassion to their teammates and work through the storms.”