Kayla Torson of Xavier has been selected as this week's winner of the Metro Spotlight award for high school girls, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

Torson, a 5-foot-11 junior, is a member of the Xavier volleyball team that is ranked No.9 in Class 4A this season. The Saints upset Class 5A No.2 Johnston in the Washington tournament Saturday and reached the championship match.

Torson, an outside hitter with an uncanny ability to hang in the air for kill shots, was named second team All-State by the Iowa Girls Coaches Association in 2012 as a sophomore.

Here is our Question-&-Session session with Kayla Torson:

MSR: What has been your favorite individual highlight in sports?

KAYLA: My favorite individual highlight in my sports career was being selected the Player Of The Year in the Mississippi Valley Conference division last year.

MSR: What has been your favorite team highlight in sports?

KAYLA: My favorite team highlight for club volleyball was winning 15U nationals in 2012 and getting second in 16U at nationals this summer, placing the highest an Iowa team has ever finished. Also my club team, Iowa Rockets, is now ranked third in the nation.

My favorite team highlight for school ball was making it to the state tournament last year and winning the Valley Division title in the conference.

MSR: Who has had the biggest influence on your sports career?

KAYLA: My parents and grandparents. My mom used to play volleyball at Regis and also coached the sport for awhile. My parents have always supported me by taking me to practice and by allowing me to be able to be given the best opportunities when it comes to volleyball. My grandparents make it to every game they can and it motivates me to play well because I want to make them proud. Also part of my motivation when I started playing was that my seventh grade volleyball coach told me that I would never play high school volleyball in my career; I love proving people wrong. I didn't start playing volleyball until seventh grade.

MSR: What are your favorite classes in school?

KAYLA: My favorite subjects in school are English, journalism/yearbook and psychology! I love to write and also I love gym. My teachers are pretty cool.

MSR: What are your future goals in sports?

KAYLA: My future goals in sports are to go to a Division I college for volleyball. I also would like to qualify for state in the upcoming years and win the open division at nationals with my club team. I would also like to improve my serve efficiency, kill efficiency and back row play. I also hope to increase my vertical and my touch  height.

MSR: What has been your favorite community service project?

KAYLA: My favorite community service project would probably be when the Xavier track team went to Polk Elementary and we were able to play with the kids there. All of the kids there became attached to us and it was really fun because we were able to play games of kickball and dodgeball with them! I also love going to Young at Hearts with my grandparents. I know this isn't a community service project, but I go to lunch with my grandparents once a month at their parish. Young at Hearts is a group of older people who meet once a month to socialize and eat food and it is always fun to talk to the people there and hear their stories about their grandchildren - people I know and go to school with. I guess having free lunch every month isn't a bad thing either!