King’s Academy senior Logan Taylor enjoyed a memorable season and quickly turned the boys volleyball program in its second year into one of the top teams in the state. Taylor, who led the Lions to a 26-2 record and to the state semifinal, was recognized as the Sun Sentinel boys volleyball player of the year.
Taylor displayed his leadership and ability on the court throughout his senior season as the Lions captured a district and regional title. The team captain, who starred at setter and outside hitter, recorded a team-high 483 assists, 363 kills and 96 aces. He also stepped up with 197 digs and 42 blocks. He finished the season ranked second in the state in aces.
Taylor was a top performer during the team’s playoff run. He registered 13 kills and 12 assists during the regional final. He recorded 16 assists, 15 kills, 10 digs and five aces in the state quarterfinal. He also had 20 assists and 13 kills in the state semifinal.
Taylor started his high school volleyball career with the Tampa Bay HEAT during his sophomore year, which allowed home-schooled players to compete with a program in the FHSAA. King’s Academy did not have a boys volleyball program at the time. Taylor was determined and traveled several days to Tampa each week.
“I personally felt I needed to play on a high school team to work on my skills because it’s a lot different than being in a gym just practicing,” he said. “I was able to get a lot more repetitions and from that standpoint, it was a big help.”
Taylor led the King’s Academy boys volleyball program in its first year to 21 wins and to the regional semifinal. The Lions reached the state final four this season, which included a 23-match win streak.
“I was optimistic in our first year since we had three players with some experience to originally build the team around,” he said. “We still had a bunch of kids who had never played volleyball and we exceeded expectations. We knew we could have a successful season this year if we worked really hard. We made a statement and it was unbelievable making it to states. We excelled at a very fast level and we had a lot of chemistry as a team. It was a really fun group of guys.”
Taylor, who previously competed with Palm Beach Juniors and at Ocean Bay Volleyball Club, trained this past year with a club team in Tennessee and traveled multiple times each month.
“The coaching has been great and I just felt this is what I needed before playing in college,” he said.
Taylor, who previously won a beach national championship event, has twin sisters who emerged on the beach volleyball scene at King’s Academy. He also enjoyed the opportunity to have his mother as his coach on the sidelines the last two seasons. She was a standout player at Palm Beach Atlantic University and has worked for several organizations in her coaching career.
“It’s just a testament to her coaching for our team to reach states,” he said. “I loved having my mom as our coach and to be on this journey with me. My mom is really close to me and one of my best friends.”
Taylor received offers from Harvard, Princeton and several other schools. He will play at North Greenville University, which finished fifth in the NCAA Men’s Volleyball Tournament last year. Taylor has expressed interest in business and cyber security.
“The guys on my visit were amazing,” he said. “The team is going to be extremely strong. I am really excited for the opportunity.”
