In recent years, Lakeland High School’s athletic programs have produced a handful of college athletes. The Hawks’ newest collegiately committed athlete is 6 ‘1, junior Ziya Munyer, the standout middle blocker of Lakeland’s volleyball team.
“Committing as a junior and having a goal in mind is good because I don’t have to stress over the recruiting process anymore, and I can focus on playing club and improving,” Munyer said.
In comparison with many other sports, it is more common for volleyball players to commit as a junior. After dedicating the first two years of high school to perfecting her craft and playing volleyball year-round, Munyer shined this summer in several camps, leading to consistent pursuit from many college recruiters.
“Since I was a freshman, I would film my games and make highlight reels to send to college coaches. Being from a small town, it was important to put my head down and get to work,” Munyer said.
Munyer had a challenging time choosing between the three Division 1 universities that offered her full-ride scholarships: Wichita State, Eastern Washington and Weber State. She had developed a strong connection with all three schools that were pursuing her and had many factors to consider.
Ultimately, Munyer decided to become a Weber State Wildcat and join her older brother Ammon in Ogden, Utah. Ammon is currently a redshirt tight end for the Wildcats football program.
Munyer says she is excited to be able to spend time with her brother while embarking on the next chapter of her athletic career. Coincidentally, Ammon’s girlfriend is a member of the Wildcats volleyball team.
“I felt comfortable committing so early because my brother goes there, I love their team culture, and the coaches are super nice,” Munyer said. “It seemed like a perfect fit for me.”
As a sophomore, Munyer was a key contributing member of the Lakeland girl’s basketball team and an Idaho state champion in the triple jump for track and field.
Going to camps at Weber State allowed Munyer to become close to coaches prior to the recruitment process.
Munyer has two parents in the school district who have played a crucial role in mentoring her.
“My dad is always there for me and knows what I’m going through. He is great at encouraging me to improve myself as a person and a player,” Munyer said. “My mom is so patient with me, loving, and supportive.”
Her mother, Berenice Munyer, is a longtime Spanish teacher at Lakeland Middle School, and her father, Jacob Munyer, is a special education teacher and track coach at LHS. They were both ecstatic when Ziya received these full-ride offers, but it was something they anticipated due to the work she put in throughout the years.
Munyer has been a crucial part of head coach Kelsie Badger’s varsity team since her freshman year. Her dad says her potential to be a college athlete became prominent during her freshman year.
Jacob, who coaches her in track, says that her experience in track has directly correlated with her success on the volleyball court. It is logical to infer that Ziya’s success in the triple jump is helpful for keeping a strong lower body and the ability to jump well to block hits.
Jacob Munyer mentioned Ziya was solely responsible for the amount of recruiting attention she received; she worked very hard to put together highlight reels and reach out to coaches to begin the recruitment process herself.
“Whatever she picked, we were going to support her. I really like Wichita State’s program, and the coach at Eastern Washington really wanted her, but she knew she had a great relationship with the coaching staff at Weber,” Jacob Munyer said.
Ziya checks all the boxes that college recruiters look for in a middle blocker, specifically height.
“She has a tenacity to always get better at what she does,” he added. “When she was younger, she always wanted to play with older age groups to get better. She is constantly looking for ways to get better.”
He also added it was important for her to get exposure playing elsewhere to get recognized by college coaches.
This season, Ziya was part of a Lakeland volleyball team that performed very well in 2023 and finished 30-8 and 4th place in Idaho’s 4A classification.
“We’ve been playing together since seventh grade. She has grown a lot as a player. Volleyball is her life, and she puts in so much work. Ziya brings comfort and communication to the team. Her love for the game and her outstanding work ethic will really help her in college,” Landree Simon, Munyer’s longtime teammate, said.
Munyer’s favorite memories of high school volleyball are building relationships with her teammates throughout the season and getting to play in state.
“I’m excited to get started,” she said. “Now, being committed makes me more motivated to keep improving towards that goal of making a contribution to the team.”
Munyer has another year of high school to excel before she heads to Ogden for her freshman year.
