SE: Early Start, Worldly Experiences Prepare K-State VB’s Dixon for Freshman Season
Jul 29, 2019 | Volleyball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
K-State volleyball's Anna Dixon is a freshman in the sense that she has never played an official match for the Wildcats. But, in terms of experiences, Dixon is already well beyond that classification.
Dixon arrived at K-State for the spring semester, joined the Wildcats on their nine-day competitive tour of Brazil to begin the summer and, most recently, played on USA Volleyball's 2019 Women's Junior National Team (WJNT) at the FIVB Women's U20 World Championship in Mexico.
All of it, she said, gave her a head start to what she's about to face when K-State's season begins on August 30 at the N.C. State Invitational.
"I think I've gotten a taste of how fast it's going to be in the fall, especially in the Big 12. There are so many good teams, so I think I'm prepared for that," she said. "Also, mentally, I feel prepared on how to handle stressful situations when you're up against tough teams with huge hitters. I think it all has, mentally and physically, prepared me."
Her Team USA experience came as somewhat of a surprise.
Dixon had never been part of a Team USA training camp. So, when she was invited to try out for the WJNT in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with 19 other highly regarded players from across the country, she said she had "no expectations."
"I was competing against a lot of girls that had been on the team for a while or had experience with USA (Volleyball)," the 6-foot-3 outside hitter said. "So, when they told me I made the team I was kind of shocked but also really excited at the same time."
From the training camp on July 6-12 and the U20 World Championship the following week in Leon Guanajuato & Aguascalientes, Mexico, Dixon encountered some overwhelming moments.
The pair of four-hour training sessions in Colorado come to mind, the Louisburg native said. Facing some of the world's top talent was also a challenge, as were some of the international rules.
"I think I was pushed as a player to develop faster, especially as a back-row player. With the different sub rules for international (play), their outside hitters are expected to play six rotations, so I had to learn fast, listen to the feedback to coaches gave me and be able to apply that a lot quicker," Dixon said. "I think that was also a good skill I learned down there."
Dixon also learned from some veteran coaches like Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott, the WJNT head coach and Concordia's Paula Weishoff, a three-time Olympian who assisted Elliott. Dixon said their impact went beyond the technical aspect of the game.
"Only being able to train with that team for a week before we started the tournament (made) it hard to develop (chemistry) fast, so they just emphasized how important communication was with each other," she said. "I think that's something I'm really going to have to bring back to K-State this year, with us being such a young team."
K-State's youth, Dixon said, was a significant factor in her graduating high school early to get to Manhattan in the spring semester. As one of 14 underclassmen on K-State's roster, the two-time Class 4A Kansas Player of the Year knew how important it would be to get a head start in every way possible.
"I think it was the best decision for me, learning all the time-management skills before fall hit," said Dixon, a top-50 recruit who's part of a five-member incoming freshman class that was ranked the 20th-best in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com. "Also, I feel like I developed a lot as a player that first semester here and got to know the girls well so we could start building that chemistry for the fall."
K-State volleyball's Anna Dixon is a freshman in the sense that she has never played an official match for the Wildcats. But, in terms of experiences, Dixon is already well beyond that classification.
Dixon arrived at K-State for the spring semester, joined the Wildcats on their nine-day competitive tour of Brazil to begin the summer and, most recently, played on USA Volleyball's 2019 Women's Junior National Team (WJNT) at the FIVB Women's U20 World Championship in Mexico.
All of it, she said, gave her a head start to what she's about to face when K-State's season begins on August 30 at the N.C. State Invitational.
"I think I've gotten a taste of how fast it's going to be in the fall, especially in the Big 12. There are so many good teams, so I think I'm prepared for that," she said. "Also, mentally, I feel prepared on how to handle stressful situations when you're up against tough teams with huge hitters. I think it all has, mentally and physically, prepared me."
Her Team USA experience came as somewhat of a surprise.
Dixon had never been part of a Team USA training camp. So, when she was invited to try out for the WJNT in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with 19 other highly regarded players from across the country, she said she had "no expectations."
"I was competing against a lot of girls that had been on the team for a while or had experience with USA (Volleyball)," the 6-foot-3 outside hitter said. "So, when they told me I made the team I was kind of shocked but also really excited at the same time."
From the training camp on July 6-12 and the U20 World Championship the following week in Leon Guanajuato & Aguascalientes, Mexico, Dixon encountered some overwhelming moments.
The pair of four-hour training sessions in Colorado come to mind, the Louisburg native said. Facing some of the world's top talent was also a challenge, as were some of the international rules.
"I think I was pushed as a player to develop faster, especially as a back-row player. With the different sub rules for international (play), their outside hitters are expected to play six rotations, so I had to learn fast, listen to the feedback to coaches gave me and be able to apply that a lot quicker," Dixon said. "I think that was also a good skill I learned down there."
Dixon also learned from some veteran coaches like Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott, the WJNT head coach and Concordia's Paula Weishoff, a three-time Olympian who assisted Elliott. Dixon said their impact went beyond the technical aspect of the game.
"Only being able to train with that team for a week before we started the tournament (made) it hard to develop (chemistry) fast, so they just emphasized how important communication was with each other," she said. "I think that's something I'm really going to have to bring back to K-State this year, with us being such a young team."
K-State's youth, Dixon said, was a significant factor in her graduating high school early to get to Manhattan in the spring semester. As one of 14 underclassmen on K-State's roster, the two-time Class 4A Kansas Player of the Year knew how important it would be to get a head start in every way possible.
"I think it was the best decision for me, learning all the time-management skills before fall hit," said Dixon, a top-50 recruit who's part of a five-member incoming freshman class that was ranked the 20th-best in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com. "Also, I feel like I developed a lot as a player that first semester here and got to know the girls well so we could start building that chemistry for the fall."
Players Mentioned
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