SE: Redshirt Season Fueled, Prepared Dixon to Lead K-State VB Offense
Aug 25, 2017 | Volleyball, Sports Extra
When asked how many days it had been since she last played a regular season volleyball match, K-State's Sarah Dixon could not even conjure a real guess.
"It's been a while," she said. "It's been a while."
It has definitely been a while. Dixon's long wait will end at exactly 630 days on Friday, when K-State starts its season against Pacific in Corvallis, Oregon, at 2:30 p.m. (CDT).
"I feel like I've been waiting for so long," she said. "I'm just excited."
A transfer after one season at Arizona, Dixon redshirted last year for the Wildcats, which the 5-foot-9 setter admitted was not always easy.
"I think the hardest part was not being able to do what I love and compete and be out there," said the redshirt sophomore from Chino Hills, California. "I got to learn so much and it was a great opportunity for me, but it was very difficult to have to stand back there when I just wanted to be out there so badly, competing with my teammates."
The year off did have some benefits. Dixon was able to fully learn K-State's system before being thrown into an actual match. Plus, by watching the game from a different perspective — the sidelines — her volleyball IQ expanded.
"I think you see the game a lot differently off the court," she said. "Especially as a setter, there's a lot of things you can see with an opponent's defense that sometimes you don't necessarily take the time to see it in a real match, or it's a little bit more difficult. So I really think I have a better understanding of how I want to run my offense this year just from getting that opportunity to watch."
Last season, Dixon was also able to study the habits of one of the best setters in K-State history in Katie Brand. Seeing how the three-time All-American operated was yet another advantage of Dixon's redshirt season.
"I don't think there's a better person that I could have sat behind and learned from, just in terms of what she could do," Dixon said. "She contributes to the game in so many ways and she ran the offense at such a high level that it was great for me to learn from to see how she did it and how she led the team."
Last spring, when the process of replacing six seniors from the 2016 team truly began, head coach Suzie Fritz said she could see Dixon start to turn a corner in "her ability to run the offense."
"Her confidence has grown tremendously," Fritz added. "It's different to be a good setter. Sarah's always been a good setter but her ability to run the offense, manage the team, from that perspective she's grown a great deal."
The difference between simply being a good setter and effectively running an offense, Dixon said, boils down to experience.
"There's a difference a good and great setter. I think a great setter makes everyone around them better, so that's really what I hope to do," she said. "I hope to put my hitters in good positions where they can get the ball to the floor but also kind of make everyone, inspire everyone to play at their best potential and achieve their potential. I think that's the biggest thing."
The foundation for a great setter includes strong relationships with her teammates, a process that takes time. Here lies another benefit of Dixon's redshirt season.
"We have a level of trust that is growing every day, every game, every point," Dixon, who had 44 assists and 10 digs in the Wildcats' exhibition against No. 9 Creighton last Friday, said of the chemistry she has with her teammates. "Setters are kind of the middlemen, so you really need to have strong relationships that hold up under pressure."
Speaking of pressure, Dixon loves it. It's what she has waited more 630 days — or, one year, eight months and 21 days — to experience again.
"Real life pressure situations, I think that's where I thrive and I love them," she said. "I think I'm a lot more prepared, just in terms of, I'm ready. I've been waiting for so long that I'm so hungry for it and I'm so ready just to get out there. I've never had such a fuel to go and compete. I think that's what that (redshirt) year really gave me."
After Friday's match against Pacific, K-State will play two matches on Saturday against Idaho at noon (CDT) and Oregon State at 9 p.m. (CDT). The Wildcats return to Ahearn Field House on Thursday to face Arkansas at 7 p.m.
"I'm just excited," Dixon said. "We've put in a lot of work this summer. I know all the girls, in the weight room, on the court, we've just been working really hard to come together and get everything running smoothly with a new team and new pieces. I'm really excited to see where we're at."
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