SE: Smith Takes on Long-Time Family Rival in Final Home Weekend

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Things will run full circle when Jacque Smith takes the court for the Kansas State volleyball team's Senior Day finale against Kansas on Friday and Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum. Smith grew up a Missouri fan. She grew up in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri. She also grew up in a household that had one thing in common with K-State fans.

They shared a mutual distaste for KU.

"No KU was ever allowed in my house," Smith says. "My dad was like, 'We don't like KU.' That's how I was raised. This will be the best Senior Night ever because it's against KU and this would be the greatest ending to my senior year."

Smith, a fifth-year senior, expects a large gathering when she puts a bow on a college career that carries many fond memories. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends, along with her parents Charles and Sylvia and older sister Samantha, are expected to journey from the Kansas City area to Manhattan — about 18 people in all — to cheer on one of the Wildcats' team leaders and the most veteran defensive specialist.

Since redshirting her freshman year, Smith has played in 290 sets and 89 matches and has collected 548 digs over four years for the Wildcats, and excitedly recalls a laundry list of favorite moments.

"It's hard because there are literally so many," she says. "There was one year we beat KU in Ahearn Field House and it's so funny because there are so many people who haven't played in Ahearn and they don't understand why it was a big deal. I say, 'Because it was hot in there, guys.' Nobody knew how much you had to go through in Ahearn. That was a memory I'll always remember.

"Even going to five sets last year with Texas at home, it still gives me chills because I know our team can play with those big teams and those top-ranked teams. Another memory is coming back and sweeping Iowa State this year because I didn't know that it's been like 14 years since we beat Iowa State at their home. There are a lot of memories. It's hard to just pick a couple."

Smith has been fortunate to have many pleasant memories during her life. Her mother, Sylvia, served as head volleyball coach at St. Teresa's Academy, so she has been around volleyball since age 5. Although Smith enjoyed tennis, soccer and basketball, volleyball always held a special spot in her heart.

"Volleyball became my main sport when I got into high school because my family is more of a volleyball family," she says. "I fell in love with it so quickly."

Smith earned all-state honors her junior and senior seasons at St. Teresa's, set the school single-season digs record with 545, and was selected to the annual Missouri-Kansas All-Star game following her high school career.

Interestingly, when it came to deciding upon a college destination, "KU was the first school to contact me."

"I knew it wouldn't work," she chuckles.

Missouri called and she grew close with the coaching staff, but that relationship grew distant when her lead recruiter left the coaching staff.

"Then K-State came up to see me and I thought it was meant to be," she says. "My parents were like, 'OK, we like K-State, just not KU.' Of course, Mizzou and K-State both don't like KU. I was like, 'This will work out.'"

Smith has a great appreciation for the program's culture under head coach Suzie Fritz.

"I like how real it is," she says. "I like how Suzie has made our team be very open with each other. We don't walk on eggshells, and we know each other, and she believes that we're more than just volleyball players. That's so special and very important because as young women we're still trying to figure out who we are and who we want to be after college. She lets us know we're more than just athletes and there's more to life than just volleyball. Right now, volleyball is very important to us, but she helps us understand a different perspective — volleyball will always be a part of us but it's not our full identity. She helps us to realize that."

Smith will graduate with a dual major in kinesiology and nutrition in December. She aspires to one day open her own gym — an idea spurred after an internship under skill development and sports performance specialist Luther Glove in Lenexa. His clientele list includes professional athletes such as Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill to college athletes to middle-school athletes. Smith saw an advertisement for Luther Glover Workouts on Facebook, sent her resume, and was a perfect fit.

"I met with him last May and I worked with him all through June until I came back to school," she says. "Little did I know he works with some of the Chiefs players, he has some Sporting KC players come in, a lot of professional athletes, but also middle-school kids, all ages, college kids during the offseason. I loved the atmosphere and the community and met a lot of great people. I just really knew this was wanted to do. I want to have my own gym one day and work with athletes and motivated people."

Before she moves forward, Smith pauses to appreciate her journey at K-State.

"When I think of K-State, I think of family," she says. "I know everyone says that, but it is true. K-State lives up to that. We are family no matter what. I think of lightheartedness, happy, and everyone wants you to succeed here. It's easy to do what you believe you need to do in life because people have your back here and they know that even though we will fail sometimes they'll always be there for you. It's a really good community and a good base for me to have for my future. I know when I leave here, it's not going to be – 'OK, bye.' K-State people will check up on me and I'll check up on them. It's like we're in this for the long run."

Emotions will run high this weekend when the Wildcats face the Jayhawks in Bramlage and Smith says goodbye to the volleyball program she's loved for half a decade.

"I'm still kind of in shock," she says. "It went really fast. It was slow in some years but this year the season went by so fast. Everyone was like, 'You're a senior, oh my gosh.' I was like, 'I'll think about it later.' Now that it's the last week of my career, thinking about Senior Night, I'm in shock. I've been here for five years. It's been good, there's been good times, bad times, all that stuff, and I wouldn't change it for anything. I'm probably going to tear up a little bit.

"I just want to beat KU really badly."

Kansas State University Athletics

SE: Smith Takes on Long-Time Family Rival in Final Home Weekend

Players Mentioned

Jacque Smith

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