An NCAA standout athlete used her platform to praise God as the trend of young college women focusing on faith over self continues to spread. Kennedy Martin, standing 6 feet 6 inches on the volleyball court for Penn State University, shared her powerful message on Sports Spectrum’s ‘What’s Up’ podcast.
Martin, who towers over her teammates, has had an impressive volleyball background. Blessed with tremendous height and athleticism, she won numerous accolades in high school, including the 2022 South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year, before moving on to Division 1 competition with Florida and later Penn State. She has twice been distinguished with All-America honors.
But for all of her talent and awards – and despite rising to incredible heights – Martin remains impressively grounded. During a segment on the podcast episode released November 17th, 2025, the towering volleyballer said she was so much more than a phenom and that her real strengths lie outside the court. “I’m so much more than just a volleyball player,” Martin said, “I’m God’s daughter.
“I’m so much more than just a volleyball player, like, I’m God’s daughter, and I have so much more to offer than just performing really well one night,” the clip begins with Martin saying. “And I think that’s something that a lot of, like younger athletes, kind of get lost in, is like, just the pressure and like, handling it and the future and this and that.”
No doubt, the pressure to perform well and the outsized ego that might come with succeeding in that, particularly at a young age when everyone is feting you, is astronomical. This story is all too common in college athletics. However, with the realization that there is more to life than a game, the college junior is able to handle everything that comes her way, knowing she’s not alone and also having that critical perspective.
She continued: “And I’m like, whoa. Like, pause. Like you are so much more than whether or not like you’re you make a club team that you, like, really wanted to make. Take a look at the young woman honor God below:
As mentioned, Martin’s story is thankfully not unique. During the women’s NCAA basketball tournament this past year, many big-time players shared their faith on the court in interviews and later in press conference. They unabashedly and proudly gave glory and honor to God for their wins and tempered tough losses with his presence.
“I’m standing on God’s shoulders right now…it’s all glory to God,” 5th-year senior Hailey Van Lith of Texas Christian University said after her team defeated her former school of Louisville. Red in the face from crying and wiping away tears, Van Lith admitted she “would be nothing without Him” and that her success is evidence of “God working.”
“It’s a blessing. But I really am, I’m really standing on God’s shoulders right now. You guys ,He’s delivered me from so much man and so much pain and suffering and confusion, and I just it’s all glory to God,” she continued.
“Truly, I would be nothing without Him, and in the darkest moments of my life, He never turned his face from me, and I just couldn’t be more grateful to experience His love in this moment. So, you know, all those people are wearing my jersey out there, but it’s for a greater purpose. And you know it’s, it’s God working, man.” Watch that emotional press conference below:
&
;