Astoria junior commits to U Dub
· Yahoo Sports
The busy summer for Astoria junior Kyah Gohr is finally complete.
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After spending much of her time playing and winning beach volleyball tournaments, the incoming junior announced her verbal commitment to the University of Washington on her Instagram on Friday, Aug. 21.
Her announcement to play beach volleyball for a Division 1 program was quick, but not a surprise to those who watched her the past two years with Astoria. Though she didn’t win 4A State Player of the Year in 2025, she was the only player in Oregon to make all-state at two different positions.
“The recruiting process started late May for me,” Gohr said. “At first I was just playing beach volleyball for fun and didn’t think much of it. Then I started getting a little bit of notice, but the situation with colleges is so wishy-washy, so it was hard to know. It was a waiting game and I had to choose the best option which was University of Washington.”
According to Kyah’s father Eric, the junior had three Division 1 indoor schools showing interest. There were also a few small schools courting the junior as well.
“Due to offers for both indoor and outdoor she wasn’t sure what direction to go at first,” Eric Gohr said.”But she’s built for playing on the beach, so the decision to play for Washington makes sense.”
Kyah Gohr said it was a hard decision to make. “For outdoor, I had three options including U Dub,” Kyah said. “Four, if you count Corban University.”
When asked why she chose the University of Washington, Gohr listed the culture of its athletics and its academics.
“It’s Big 10, the school’s beautiful, academics are crazy good; I love the coaching staff,” Gohr said. “Coach Steve McFadden is such a good guy; I love his coaching style.”
Despite other schools vying for her attention, Washington was always Gohr’s first choice. McFadden was the first coach to show interest and he was loyal throughout the recruiting process. Also, having the chance to stay in the Pacific Northwest and continue repping a purple jersey were also reasons for her quick decision.
In her Instagram post, Gohr thanked her older brother Quin, Corban head coach Dan Stephens, former Astoria girls basketball coach Jordan Ax, her beach volleyball playing partner, Katie White, and her parents Kate and Eric.
“I wasn’t even sure about playing basketball last year and I came to one open gym to shoot around and Jordan just started rebounding for me, no words spoken,” Kyah Gohr said. “He believed in me when I didn’t.”
Eric Gohr said playing AAU basketball at a young age prepared Kyah for all the athletic challenges she would face. He said coach Ax helped give his daughter the confidence to ascend as a volleyball player.
Now that recruiting is out of the way, Kyah Gohr said she is focused on winning another league title with Astoria volleyball this season — and then preparing herself for the hard work ahead.
“My heart is still with Astoria and I want to win another title,” Kyah Gohr said. “After this season is over, I’m playing for Dakine Volleyball Club in Tacoma, Washington. It’s cool that I got recruited without a coach or a club.”
Per NCAA rules, recruits are not allowed to officially sign with colleges until November of their senior year. Kyah Gohr’s signing ceremony is slated for Nov. 1 2027. That will be when her verbal commitment becomes official.