Jordyn Byrd surges and smashes with Florida women's volleyball

Competitor-turned-spectator. That was the fate forced upon Jordyn Byrd, not just for one season, but for the entirety of two.

Accustomed to starring on the court, she wasn’t even a minor contributor at the collegiate level. She just sat on the sidelines as weeks of waiting turned into years of yearning.

The Sarasota native had been thoroughly humbled by the end of her redshirt freshman campaign with Texas women’s volleyball. When she sought a change of scenery, her wishlist was short.

“All I wanted was just an opportunity to showcase myself,” Byrd said. “I had been working hard for two years, and I just wanted to be able to show people what I have.”

Indeed, she got that long-desired chance to shine, and with it, has shown why there was once a time when she never had to ask.

Byrd, an outside hitter for Florida women’s volleyball, has stormed onto the scene since making her collegiate debut less than two months ago. The redshirt sophomore, as of Oct. 7, leads the Gators with 198 kills and ranks 10th in the SEC with 3.88 kills per set.

She’s racked up 15-plus kills in seven of 13 matches played during that span. That includes 23 in an upset of then-No. 3 Pittsburgh on Aug. 24 — just her second NCAA match — as well as a career-high 24 against Alabama on Sept. 28.

Team-topping efforts even earned her selection to the 2025 National Player of the Year Award Watch List, given by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

It’s been the sort of season recruiters foresaw when Byrd graduated from Cardinal Mooney ranked No. 22 in the Class of 2023 by Prep Dig. Her arrival was delayed, but now, figures across college volleyball know the name.

“She just physically can do things that most can’t,” said Florida coach Ryan Theis to ESPN earlier this season. “It’s a load to stop, and when she is feeling it, anything you throw up there, she’s going to have a shot to kill.”

Image courtesy of Maddie Washburn / Florida Athletics

Volleyball has been in her blood since birth. She wasn’t so quick to embrace the sport, though.

For much of her childhood, she actively avoided it.

Angie Byrd — her mother — played at North Alabama and Seward County Community College in 2000-02 and 1998-99, respectively. She’s currently in her first year as the Booker girls’ volleyball coach and has coached the sport in various capacities for over 20 years.

Whenever she wanted, Jordyn Byrd could have chosen to follow those footsteps. But she remained resolute in stopping her mother from forcing her into the sport, not wanting to feel the expectations that can come with a parent-coach.

She finally came around in seventh grade. And when early struggles mounted, she pointed the finger at her mother.

“I tried it out, and I was absolutely horrible. I was very bad,” said Jordyn Byrd. “I was telling my Mom, ‘This is exactly why I said don't force me to play, because I'm actually so bad.’”

Her rapidly-developing body was at the root of on-court troubles. Much like other young volleyball talents, she had longer limbs than most, and needed time to learn how to control them.

Ushered forth by her parents’ “no quitter” policy, she committed to improving, and eventually became the singular freshman on the 2019 varsity roster for Cardinal Mooney girls’ volleyball. That squad won the FHSAA Class 3A state championship — a first for the program.

Fast-forward three years. By the time she graduated, Jordyn Byrd was a two-time Gatorade Florida Volleyball Player of the Year in 2021-22 and 2022-23, as well as only the second Floridian to win the award in back-to-back seasons.

She had become a bona fide program legend. Still, that meant little when she committed to the Longhorns, the then-reigning NCAA champions.

“Coming from high school to college is a really, really big jump in pace, talent, speed and all that type of stuff,” said Jordyn Byrd. “I was named one of the best in my area, but in my head, I'm like, ‘I may be one of the best in high school, but I don't know what that means for me in college.’”

Image courtesy of Ethan Caruso / Florida Athletics

Joining the Longhorns early in spring 2023, she was eager to get a head start, but all her progress promptly went by the wayside. She suffered a foot injury before ever seeing the court and wound up sidelined with a medical redshirt for all of her freshman year.

And it was from the sidelines where she sat and watched as Texas won its second straight national championship — in Tampa’s then Amalie Arena, of all places.

“Right before I got hurt, I was just getting better every single day. My coaches were telling me that I was getting better,” said Jordyn Byrd. “So once I got put in the boot and I got hurt, it was crushing.”

By the time she had fully recovered, and was ready to go in year two, she had fallen out of favor with Texas brass. She didn’t play even one minute in 2024 under coach Jerritt Elliott’s watch.

That pushed her into the transfer portal, where the Gators came calling. They weren’t the only team to show interest, but they were the right team.

This is home. 

She’s now a two-plus hour drive from Sarasota rather than a two-plus hour flight. In Gainesville, she’s not just another contributor — she’s the go-to pin hitter.

“I definitely shocked myself. Definitely didn't think that this is how this was going to go,” said Jordyn Byrd. “I didn't think it was going to be bad, by any means, but I also didn't think that I was going to become this player that I am today.”

She’s valued now for the player she’s always known herself to be. Texas failed to see it, but Florida isn’t making that mistake.

Jordyn Byrd is a competitor reborn.