SE: Zumach’s Success a Product of New Team Mentality, Personal Discipline
Sep 19, 2018 | Volleyball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
The number 199 means nothing to most people. It means everything to the K-State women's volleyball team. It's visible in multiple places, from warm-up tops to the team's whiteboard. It's heard when the team breaks down a huddle.
The number originated from an offseason team meeting with K-State Director of Mental Wellness/Sport Psychology Anne Weese. It became a foundational component to both K-State's 10-1 start to the 2018 campaign and the best play of Kylee Zumach's career, which includes a pair of Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors already this season.
"Anne came and talked to us and was, like, 'What do you guys want to do with this team this year?' I think that just opened up the conversation that we didn't really talk about before, like expectations that we had, what we want and how we want it to be different," Zumach said, as K-State opens Big 12 play against No. 5 Texas in Ahearn Field House on Wednesday at 6 p.m., on ESPNU. "We were, like, 'Let's think of a mantra for this team that will pull us all together and get us on the same page.' She said, 'What is your same page?'"
During this meeting, the team threw around some ideas and key points, one of them being to make sure whatever they came up with encompassed everyone on the team. Thus, 199 — the sum of all 19 Wildcat jersey numbers — was born.
"I think that really fit into how we talked about in that meeting that we want this year to not only be special for the seniors but for everyone," Zumach said. "Everyone's part of this team. Everyone needs to buy in and invest. I think 199 just fell under that."
Zumach, one of six seniors, said for 199 to become effective like it has, every player had to take extreme pride in her role on the team, no matter how big or small. She, as one of two fifth-year seniors, knew this meant she needed to change some things, too.
Amongst the handful of adjustments Zumach said she's made, they all fall under her more complete approach to leadership. For most players, this would mean becoming more vocal. Not Zumach; she's a natural in that respect. Instead, she tried to become a better leader by example, specifically when it comes to being disciplined.
"I go, go, go, and I don't think," Zumach said of her natural instinct, something she's mostly made up for with extreme athletic talent. "Talking to different people (before the season), they said, 'You need to set an example. Not everyone can be just go, go, go, 100 percent of the time, so you need to be more disciplined in what you do or else people are going to try to follow you.'
"When I was younger, we had Kersten Kerber, Katie Brand, Mattie Batchelder. They were all such disciplined people, so that was never something I thought I had to do because they had that on lock for the team. But I am a senior for this team, so I feel like there's a role that opened up that I needed to fill."
So, Zumach filled it.
In every serving, passing, digging or attacking drill, she made sure to be completely committed to it. She also started using nutrition as a tool to improve her physical performance.
"I feel like she's, physically, as prepared as she's ever been and probably as hungry as she's ever been," K-State head coach Suzie Fritz said of Zumach before the season. "She's a more disciplined player. She's a more mature player. She's a more prepared player than she's ever been."
"To be a successful server, blocker, passer, defender, and hitter, too, you have to be (disciplined)," added Zumach, who was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2014 along with earning an honorable mention AVCA All-American nod in her first season. "For example, my transition footwork off the net, it used to be just run, run, run, but now I'm more disciplined in how I get off the net, how I get there quickly, more efficiently, and I think I'm doing that in everything.
"I didn't take that (seriously) earlier in my career. Like, 'I'm doing well, why do I have to change these things?' But I'm changing these things, being more disciplined in them. It's something I've never done before, never thought about doing, and I'm being successful this year."
Zumach's stats would agree.
The Buffalo, Minnesota native currently ranks fourth in the Big 12 in kills per set (4.22) and third in points per set (4.79). She's recorded three double-doubles in her last four matches to give her five for this season, doubling her career total before 2018. She has seven games with 10 or more digs in a match, which is more than double the amount she had in the three years prior.
Zumach is also establishing her name in the K-State record book. With three more kills, she will move into sole possession of second place on K-State's all-time kills list. Her current season (4.22) and career (3.49) averages for kills per set both would rank her third all-time.
"It's crazy. I got recruited to K-State to kill the ball, plain and simple. That's why I'm here," she said. "I'm really happy and I'm excited that I'm doing my job, but my name's going to be there for a long time and a lot of years after me, so it's crazy to think about — I'm going to leave an impact after I'm gone."
Again, Zumach said she wants her impact to go beyond the record books. It goes back to 199. Her personal success, is a product of the other 192 — she wears number seven — as much, if not more, than it is about her. She plays for them, as they do for her, she added, and the results and records are simply a result of it all.
"When you're a senior and you're looked at in a leadership capacity, you have the ability to do something special with your team," she said. "It's my last year. It's all I can do. I'm going to miss this family a lot, so I really want to make this last year something great."
The number 199 means nothing to most people. It means everything to the K-State women's volleyball team. It's visible in multiple places, from warm-up tops to the team's whiteboard. It's heard when the team breaks down a huddle.
The number originated from an offseason team meeting with K-State Director of Mental Wellness/Sport Psychology Anne Weese. It became a foundational component to both K-State's 10-1 start to the 2018 campaign and the best play of Kylee Zumach's career, which includes a pair of Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors already this season.
"Anne came and talked to us and was, like, 'What do you guys want to do with this team this year?' I think that just opened up the conversation that we didn't really talk about before, like expectations that we had, what we want and how we want it to be different," Zumach said, as K-State opens Big 12 play against No. 5 Texas in Ahearn Field House on Wednesday at 6 p.m., on ESPNU. "We were, like, 'Let's think of a mantra for this team that will pull us all together and get us on the same page.' She said, 'What is your same page?'"
During this meeting, the team threw around some ideas and key points, one of them being to make sure whatever they came up with encompassed everyone on the team. Thus, 199 — the sum of all 19 Wildcat jersey numbers — was born.
"I think that really fit into how we talked about in that meeting that we want this year to not only be special for the seniors but for everyone," Zumach said. "Everyone's part of this team. Everyone needs to buy in and invest. I think 199 just fell under that."
Zumach, one of six seniors, said for 199 to become effective like it has, every player had to take extreme pride in her role on the team, no matter how big or small. She, as one of two fifth-year seniors, knew this meant she needed to change some things, too.
Amongst the handful of adjustments Zumach said she's made, they all fall under her more complete approach to leadership. For most players, this would mean becoming more vocal. Not Zumach; she's a natural in that respect. Instead, she tried to become a better leader by example, specifically when it comes to being disciplined.
"I go, go, go, and I don't think," Zumach said of her natural instinct, something she's mostly made up for with extreme athletic talent. "Talking to different people (before the season), they said, 'You need to set an example. Not everyone can be just go, go, go, 100 percent of the time, so you need to be more disciplined in what you do or else people are going to try to follow you.'
"When I was younger, we had Kersten Kerber, Katie Brand, Mattie Batchelder. They were all such disciplined people, so that was never something I thought I had to do because they had that on lock for the team. But I am a senior for this team, so I feel like there's a role that opened up that I needed to fill."
So, Zumach filled it.
In every serving, passing, digging or attacking drill, she made sure to be completely committed to it. She also started using nutrition as a tool to improve her physical performance.
"I feel like she's, physically, as prepared as she's ever been and probably as hungry as she's ever been," K-State head coach Suzie Fritz said of Zumach before the season. "She's a more disciplined player. She's a more mature player. She's a more prepared player than she's ever been."
"To be a successful server, blocker, passer, defender, and hitter, too, you have to be (disciplined)," added Zumach, who was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2014 along with earning an honorable mention AVCA All-American nod in her first season. "For example, my transition footwork off the net, it used to be just run, run, run, but now I'm more disciplined in how I get off the net, how I get there quickly, more efficiently, and I think I'm doing that in everything.
"I didn't take that (seriously) earlier in my career. Like, 'I'm doing well, why do I have to change these things?' But I'm changing these things, being more disciplined in them. It's something I've never done before, never thought about doing, and I'm being successful this year."
Zumach's stats would agree.
The Buffalo, Minnesota native currently ranks fourth in the Big 12 in kills per set (4.22) and third in points per set (4.79). She's recorded three double-doubles in her last four matches to give her five for this season, doubling her career total before 2018. She has seven games with 10 or more digs in a match, which is more than double the amount she had in the three years prior.
Zumach is also establishing her name in the K-State record book. With three more kills, she will move into sole possession of second place on K-State's all-time kills list. Her current season (4.22) and career (3.49) averages for kills per set both would rank her third all-time.
"It's crazy. I got recruited to K-State to kill the ball, plain and simple. That's why I'm here," she said. "I'm really happy and I'm excited that I'm doing my job, but my name's going to be there for a long time and a lot of years after me, so it's crazy to think about — I'm going to leave an impact after I'm gone."
Again, Zumach said she wants her impact to go beyond the record books. It goes back to 199. Her personal success, is a product of the other 192 — she wears number seven — as much, if not more, than it is about her. She plays for them, as they do for her, she added, and the results and records are simply a result of it all.
"When you're a senior and you're looked at in a leadership capacity, you have the ability to do something special with your team," she said. "It's my last year. It's all I can do. I'm going to miss this family a lot, so I really want to make this last year something great."
Players Mentioned
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