Kapri Garnett did not pick up a volleyball until she was 13.Two years later, she was training at Sunshine Volleyball Club in Southern California. Now the 6-foot-4 freshman opposite hitter wears No. 18 for Michigan volleyball.

A Michigan Daily profile published Wednesday, Sept. 30, traced Garnett's unusual path to Ann Arbor. She grew up in Boston attending Celtics games in the TD Garden family suite while her father played, but never gravitated toward basketball. After Kevin Garnett retired and the family moved to Los Angeles, Kapri tried equestrian lessons but refused to compete.

A classmate's text message changed everything. Kapri initially turned down an invitation to join a club volleyball team, then reconsidered.

At her first tryout with Sunshine Volleyball Club in the South Bay, she noticed something unfamiliar: nobody stared at her height. Tall players are common in volleyball. Sunshine owner and coach Cari Klein offered Kapri a spot on the club's top age-group team after that single session, despite her having only a couple of seasons of experience. Klein told the Michigan Daily that Kapri's raw ability caught the staff off guard. Both coach and player discovered Kapri's speed during conditioning drills.

Sunshine has produced future NCAA All-Americans Olivia Babcock and Torrey Stafford. Kapri transferred from Viewpoint High School to Campbell Hall alongside best friend and Sunshine teammate Kennedy Earls, a libero, to play at a higher level.

Kevin Garnett, a 15-time NBA All-Star, 2004 NBA MVP and 2008 champion with the Celtics, has his own Michigan connection. He said on the "KG Area 21" podcast that he nearly attended the university because of his admiration for Chris Webber and the Fab Five, as Yahoo Sports reported in December 2025. When Michigan began recruiting Kapri, he held back.

"When I heard Michigan was actually recruiting her, I didn't want to get my hopes up," Kevin Garnett told the Michigan Daily. "I didn't want to be like one of these dads that was pushing his agenda on his daughter."

He celebrated her signing by posting "Go Blue!" on social media.

Kapri has played less volleyball than any teammate on the Michigan roster, according to the Michigan Daily profile. Still, she has seen the court. On Saturday, Sept. 19, she recorded a kill that clinched the second set in Michigan's 3-0 sweep of Cornell at Cliff Keen Arena, according to Michigan athletics.

Head coach Erin Virtue praised the freshmen's contributions after the Cornell match, telling the Michigan Daily it was nice to see Garnett and fellow freshman Megan Ingersoll get in and contribute offensively.

Michigan (9-4, 0-2 Big Ten) dropped its first two conference matches at Crisler Center, falling to No. 14 Penn State on Friday, Sept. 25, and to undefeated Washington on Sunday, Sept. 27. The Wolverines travel to USC on Friday, Oct. 2, at 11 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network, then to UCLA on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 10 p.m. ET on B1G+.