SE: At Purple & White Scrimmage Unlike Any Other, K-State Volleyball Returns to Manhattan
Aug 17, 2020 | Volleyball, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
One of the loudest arenas in the Big 12 was empty on Friday night, but it was impossible not to hear the new normal.
It was there every time Suzie Fritz asked her K-State volleyball team to spread out in between sets. Or when she reminded them to go with elbow bumps instead of hugs after each point.
The Purple & White scrimmage is usually the first event of the year where K-State fans can watch Wildcats of any sport in Manhattan, a run-through of the team's game day routine with uniforms, music and a crowd at Ahearn Fieldhouse. There were some big differences in 2020.
"It's empty. There were maybe a dozen people here including a few media and our academic advisor, so it's quiet. But I thought, given all of those things, the energy was good," Fritz said. "No matter what's put in front of us, we have the capacity to get our minds right and contend with whatever challenges are presented."
Even though K-State volleyball was playing with masks and relocated to the larger Bramlage Coliseum on Friday, there was plenty of normal mixed in with all the new.
The goal for the Wildcats in Friday's scrimmage was unchanged from previous years, to give their younger players a chance to experience warmups and the team's routine in every match.
K-State will welcome five freshmen as part of the nation's No. 23 recruiting class, according to PrepVolleyball.com, along with senior transfer Shelby Martin from East Carolina.
"I think it's huge for our younger players. Obviously I'm a veteran player and I've been here forever, so I'm pretty used to going through our warmups and that gameday experience," redshirt junior Brynn Carlson said. "I find it's super important for our young players so that when they come into the season and we have a real match, they feel like they're just flowing through it naturally and it's not new or scary."
With pregame music blasting through Bramlage and K-State split into two teams, the Wildcats got to work trying to answer some of the questions that could define the upcoming season.
Fritz said she has been talking to her team since March about the characteristics they will need to navigate through everything that's changed.
Her two keys to success in 2020? Adaptability and Flexibility.
"For us being a week into practice, and all of the things that we're contending with right now, I feel really great about where the team is at," Fritz said. "We've got a lot of young players and they're getting better fast."
The Wildcats will be focused on developing the team's future at outside hitter in 2020, where Carlson returns as the team's leader in kills from a season ago. She didn't miss a beat on Friday night, leading K-State players on both teams with 20 kills in the four-set scrimmage.
Freshmen Aliyah Carter and Jayden Nembhard also stepped up on Friday, with Carter leading the team's outside hitters in kill percentage on an efficient scoring night for the Iowa native.
Those offensive contributions from Wildcat freshmen could go a long way to helping replace the impact of a player like Peyton Williams, who led the team in hitting percentage a season ago.
"Even though Aliyah was with us in the spring, that got cut short so she's in that freshman mode along with Jayden," Carlson said. "We have a really young outside group, so I'm grateful to be able to mentor those younger players and play with them right away."
Fritz said that the freshmen joining the Wildcats in 2020 have already "upgraded the gym."
"The difference between an experienced and an inexperienced player isn't their ability to do it once. It's their ability to do it over time," she said. "I think they're managing that, learning how to manage the ball, manage the speed when things are happening a little bit faster. Every single one of them has exceeded my expectations so far."
Whether it was Mackenzie Morris providing Carlson with defensive cover or Kadye Fernholz making an impact with her hitting, the new arrivals were everywhere on Friday night.
Martin will be another important newcomer for the Wildcats, as the former All-AAC player at East Carolina will look to play an important role as the team's only senior this season.
The Purple & White scrimmage was an opportunity for Martin to start developing a connection with Carlson and the outside hitters at K-State, as she looks to give the Wildcats some serious depth at setter next to sophomore Teana Adams-Kaonohi.
"It's really important to form a good connection with your setter. Shelby being new this season, that was one my highest priorities for her, making sure that we really communicate well," Carlson said. "I feel like our connection is getting really good. I even said that to her in the match today. I said 'Hey Shelb, I feel like it's really coming together, we're starting to connect right now.' I definitely have high expectations of where it's going to go."
While this Purple & White scrimmage was played without fans, the rise of video calls provided an unexpected benefit on Friday night for a team with players from three countries and nine different states, including a Minnesota native like Carlson.
"It's obviously a little different in here with no fans, but it was great to have our families on Zoom," Carlson said. "I know my parents were excited to watch."
For K-State, a positive attitude off the court might never be more important to a successful season.
"We're just grateful for any opportunity that we have to play right now," Carlson said. "There are a lot of people in the country that don't have the opportunity we do and who wouldn't be able to do a scrimmage like this. Even though it looks a lot different than it has in the past, we're super grateful for the opportunity that we've been given."
One of the loudest arenas in the Big 12 was empty on Friday night, but it was impossible not to hear the new normal.
It was there every time Suzie Fritz asked her K-State volleyball team to spread out in between sets. Or when she reminded them to go with elbow bumps instead of hugs after each point.
The Purple & White scrimmage is usually the first event of the year where K-State fans can watch Wildcats of any sport in Manhattan, a run-through of the team's game day routine with uniforms, music and a crowd at Ahearn Fieldhouse. There were some big differences in 2020.
"It's empty. There were maybe a dozen people here including a few media and our academic advisor, so it's quiet. But I thought, given all of those things, the energy was good," Fritz said. "No matter what's put in front of us, we have the capacity to get our minds right and contend with whatever challenges are presented."
Even though K-State volleyball was playing with masks and relocated to the larger Bramlage Coliseum on Friday, there was plenty of normal mixed in with all the new.
The goal for the Wildcats in Friday's scrimmage was unchanged from previous years, to give their younger players a chance to experience warmups and the team's routine in every match.
K-State will welcome five freshmen as part of the nation's No. 23 recruiting class, according to PrepVolleyball.com, along with senior transfer Shelby Martin from East Carolina.
"I think it's huge for our younger players. Obviously I'm a veteran player and I've been here forever, so I'm pretty used to going through our warmups and that gameday experience," redshirt junior Brynn Carlson said. "I find it's super important for our young players so that when they come into the season and we have a real match, they feel like they're just flowing through it naturally and it's not new or scary."
With pregame music blasting through Bramlage and K-State split into two teams, the Wildcats got to work trying to answer some of the questions that could define the upcoming season.
Fritz said she has been talking to her team since March about the characteristics they will need to navigate through everything that's changed.
Her two keys to success in 2020? Adaptability and Flexibility.
"For us being a week into practice, and all of the things that we're contending with right now, I feel really great about where the team is at," Fritz said. "We've got a lot of young players and they're getting better fast."
The Wildcats will be focused on developing the team's future at outside hitter in 2020, where Carlson returns as the team's leader in kills from a season ago. She didn't miss a beat on Friday night, leading K-State players on both teams with 20 kills in the four-set scrimmage.
Freshmen Aliyah Carter and Jayden Nembhard also stepped up on Friday, with Carter leading the team's outside hitters in kill percentage on an efficient scoring night for the Iowa native.
Those offensive contributions from Wildcat freshmen could go a long way to helping replace the impact of a player like Peyton Williams, who led the team in hitting percentage a season ago.
"Even though Aliyah was with us in the spring, that got cut short so she's in that freshman mode along with Jayden," Carlson said. "We have a really young outside group, so I'm grateful to be able to mentor those younger players and play with them right away."
🚨 K-State Sports (kinda) back 🚨@KStateVB returns to Bramlage tonight for the Purple & White scrimmage pic.twitter.com/ykKOwXsb3q
— Austin Siegel (@_austinsiegel) August 15, 2020
Fritz said that the freshmen joining the Wildcats in 2020 have already "upgraded the gym."
"The difference between an experienced and an inexperienced player isn't their ability to do it once. It's their ability to do it over time," she said. "I think they're managing that, learning how to manage the ball, manage the speed when things are happening a little bit faster. Every single one of them has exceeded my expectations so far."
Whether it was Mackenzie Morris providing Carlson with defensive cover or Kadye Fernholz making an impact with her hitting, the new arrivals were everywhere on Friday night.
Martin will be another important newcomer for the Wildcats, as the former All-AAC player at East Carolina will look to play an important role as the team's only senior this season.
The Purple & White scrimmage was an opportunity for Martin to start developing a connection with Carlson and the outside hitters at K-State, as she looks to give the Wildcats some serious depth at setter next to sophomore Teana Adams-Kaonohi.
"It's really important to form a good connection with your setter. Shelby being new this season, that was one my highest priorities for her, making sure that we really communicate well," Carlson said. "I feel like our connection is getting really good. I even said that to her in the match today. I said 'Hey Shelb, I feel like it's really coming together, we're starting to connect right now.' I definitely have high expectations of where it's going to go."
While this Purple & White scrimmage was played without fans, the rise of video calls provided an unexpected benefit on Friday night for a team with players from three countries and nine different states, including a Minnesota native like Carlson.
"It's obviously a little different in here with no fans, but it was great to have our families on Zoom," Carlson said. "I know my parents were excited to watch."
For K-State, a positive attitude off the court might never be more important to a successful season.
"We're just grateful for any opportunity that we have to play right now," Carlson said. "There are a lot of people in the country that don't have the opportunity we do and who wouldn't be able to do a scrimmage like this. Even though it looks a lot different than it has in the past, we're super grateful for the opportunity that we've been given."
Players Mentioned
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OH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ Volleyball
OH/OPP
/ Volleyball
MB
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