Kansas State University Athletics
SE: In Home Finale, Leadership and Roster Depth Powers K-State Volleyball
Nov 16, 2020 | Volleyball, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
Saturday night belonged to the players who have been here before.
It wasn't Senior Night, since the only K-State senior was unavailable. This might not even be the last home game of the season for the Wildcats, with a 48-team NCAA Tournament planned for the spring.
But it was still a chance for K-State to lock up their best Big 12 finish since 2008.
And when the Wildcats needed a boost, K-State called on the players who returned to the program in 2020 – names like Brynn Carlson, Abigail Archibong and Teana Adams-Kaonohi.
"I'm really excited about the competitive composure," head coach Suzie Fritz said. "They have competitiveness – that's been there all along – but to put those two words together, that's a whole different thing."
The biggest surprise in the conference this season, the Wildcats were picked to finish eighth in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll. Instead, K-State entered the weekend ranked No. 10 in the country.
Plenty of that success has to do with an offseason that saw K-State rebuild on the fly, welcoming a nationally ranked recruiting class and an impact transfer in Shelby Martin.
Heading into the TCU series, a newcomer led the Wildcats in every major statistic this season, including kills, assists, blocks and digs. But on Saturday, K-State flipped the script.
Carlson led the team with a season-high 20 kills against the Horned Frogs, while Archibong led the team in blocks and Adams-Kaonohi shattered her career high with 55 assists in the victory.
All three players grinded through a 19-loss season together in 2019, and it was obvious on Saturday that TCU couldn't do much to rattle this experienced group of Wildcats.
"The game is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical," Adams-Kaonohi said. "I think our team does a great job of being mentally strong, playing those five-setters and going all out."
Adams-Kaonohi kept K-State on schedule in both games this weekend, helping her team adjust without two starters and survive a TCU team that came roaring back after a 3-0 loss on Friday.
"It was a brand-new match, essentially," her head coach said. "It required some on-the-fly adjusting. We talked about it going into it, we anticipated different things, and we had to understand that it wasn't going to feel like yesterday's match."
In a perfect world, Adams-Kaonohi would touch the ball on every point as the team's setter and her ability to respond to each look TCU showed the Wildcats was huge in a five-set marathon.
She has taken on a bigger role down the stretch this season, but Adams-Kaonohi was at her best on Saturday night.
"We always know a team is going to upgrade if they lose the first game. I think we were prepared for that," she said. "We [expected] that from the start, but we had to get the W no matter what. We didn't change anything about our game, we just came in even harder."
In addition to season highs across the board, the sophomore has more than doubled her assists-per-set from a season ago. And she wasn't the only returning player to step up.
Brynn Carlson turned in her best match of the season against TCU, coming up with 20 kills and the game-winner to shut down the Horned Frogs.
Hitting a brisk .308 on 52 attempts off the bench, it was the kind of performance from Carlson that could be huge if the Wildcats want to make some noise in the spring.
"I think it shows our resilience and our depth," she said. "Every person has the ability to come into the match and impact the game. We have a lot of confidence both individually and collectively, no matter who's here or what the lineup is."
There might not be a player on the roster who demonstrates that better than Archibong.
The redshirt sophomore has found a way to make an impact in a starting role or coming off the bench this season - her 10 block assists against the Horned Frogs were a difference-maker.
"In practice, we put two teams out there, compete and fight against each other, so it's not surprising that we're able to come into games and mimic that," Archibong said.
Perhaps her most enduring quality? Whether K-State is using Archibong as a rotational player or asking her to help carry the team on defense, her demeanor on the bench never changes.
"That one was kind of a grind. Not all matches feel that way," Fritz said. "Game five is always a little bit of a coin flip and the only thing I can point to is competitiveness. When you get to that point, there's a will and a confidence that has to take over."
If anything can explain how K-State Volleyball has continued to defy expectations in 2020, it might be the program's success in five-set matches.
Eight of the team's 14 matches have gone to distance, providing the underclassmen on the Wildcats with invaluable experience as they grow more comfortable at the college level.
But the Wildcats wouldn't be able win a match like Saturday night without resilient performances from the players that have led the team since Day One.
"It's a refuse to lose mentality," Fritz said. "And this team has it."
Saturday night belonged to the players who have been here before.
It wasn't Senior Night, since the only K-State senior was unavailable. This might not even be the last home game of the season for the Wildcats, with a 48-team NCAA Tournament planned for the spring.
But it was still a chance for K-State to lock up their best Big 12 finish since 2008.
And when the Wildcats needed a boost, K-State called on the players who returned to the program in 2020 – names like Brynn Carlson, Abigail Archibong and Teana Adams-Kaonohi.
"I'm really excited about the competitive composure," head coach Suzie Fritz said. "They have competitiveness – that's been there all along – but to put those two words together, that's a whole different thing."
The biggest surprise in the conference this season, the Wildcats were picked to finish eighth in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll. Instead, K-State entered the weekend ranked No. 10 in the country.
With tonight's dub:
— K-State Volleyball (@KStateVB) November 15, 2020
▪️ Guaranteed top-3 finish in the @Big12Conference
▪️ First top-3 finish since 2008
▪️ Most league wins since 2008
▪️ Most league wins since Big 12 moved to 10 teams
And, oh yeah, we were picked 8th 😼 pic.twitter.com/e97XfhT29N
Plenty of that success has to do with an offseason that saw K-State rebuild on the fly, welcoming a nationally ranked recruiting class and an impact transfer in Shelby Martin.
Heading into the TCU series, a newcomer led the Wildcats in every major statistic this season, including kills, assists, blocks and digs. But on Saturday, K-State flipped the script.
Carlson led the team with a season-high 20 kills against the Horned Frogs, while Archibong led the team in blocks and Adams-Kaonohi shattered her career high with 55 assists in the victory.
All three players grinded through a 19-loss season together in 2019, and it was obvious on Saturday that TCU couldn't do much to rattle this experienced group of Wildcats.
"The game is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical," Adams-Kaonohi said. "I think our team does a great job of being mentally strong, playing those five-setters and going all out."
Adams-Kaonohi kept K-State on schedule in both games this weekend, helping her team adjust without two starters and survive a TCU team that came roaring back after a 3-0 loss on Friday.
"It was a brand-new match, essentially," her head coach said. "It required some on-the-fly adjusting. We talked about it going into it, we anticipated different things, and we had to understand that it wasn't going to feel like yesterday's match."
In a perfect world, Adams-Kaonohi would touch the ball on every point as the team's setter and her ability to respond to each look TCU showed the Wildcats was huge in a five-set marathon.
She has taken on a bigger role down the stretch this season, but Adams-Kaonohi was at her best on Saturday night.
"We always know a team is going to upgrade if they lose the first game. I think we were prepared for that," she said. "We [expected] that from the start, but we had to get the W no matter what. We didn't change anything about our game, we just came in even harder."
In addition to season highs across the board, the sophomore has more than doubled her assists-per-set from a season ago. And she wasn't the only returning player to step up.
Brynn Carlson turned in her best match of the season against TCU, coming up with 20 kills and the game-winner to shut down the Horned Frogs.
🗣 "She got it!"@brynn_carlson ties her career high with 20 kills as the 'Cats knock off TCU in five sets. #KStateVB x Built Different pic.twitter.com/izoTu2wyk6
— K-State Volleyball (@KStateVB) November 15, 2020
Hitting a brisk .308 on 52 attempts off the bench, it was the kind of performance from Carlson that could be huge if the Wildcats want to make some noise in the spring.
"I think it shows our resilience and our depth," she said. "Every person has the ability to come into the match and impact the game. We have a lot of confidence both individually and collectively, no matter who's here or what the lineup is."
There might not be a player on the roster who demonstrates that better than Archibong.
The redshirt sophomore has found a way to make an impact in a starting role or coming off the bench this season - her 10 block assists against the Horned Frogs were a difference-maker.
"In practice, we put two teams out there, compete and fight against each other, so it's not surprising that we're able to come into games and mimic that," Archibong said.
Perhaps her most enduring quality? Whether K-State is using Archibong as a rotational player or asking her to help carry the team on defense, her demeanor on the bench never changes.
"That one was kind of a grind. Not all matches feel that way," Fritz said. "Game five is always a little bit of a coin flip and the only thing I can point to is competitiveness. When you get to that point, there's a will and a confidence that has to take over."
If anything can explain how K-State Volleyball has continued to defy expectations in 2020, it might be the program's success in five-set matches.
Eight of the team's 14 matches have gone to distance, providing the underclassmen on the Wildcats with invaluable experience as they grow more comfortable at the college level.
But the Wildcats wouldn't be able win a match like Saturday night without resilient performances from the players that have led the team since Day One.
"It's a refuse to lose mentality," Fritz said. "And this team has it."
Players Mentioned
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/ Volleyball
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