Morris Hits Historic Mark but Eyes Continued Team Success
Sep 26, 2022 | Volleyball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Kansas State junior Mackenzie Morris raced into the record books in the Big 12 Conference opener against Kansas on Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum when she recorded her 1,000th career dig, becoming the fastest in school history to reach the milestone.
With her parents Lorraine and Mitch in the stands, Morris, a native of Dallas, Texas, dazzled and recorded a match-high 20 digs in the Wildcats' five-set loss to the Jayhawks — 25-19, 25-23, 20-25, 20-25 and 15-7.
It took Morris just 63 matches to achieve her milestone, fastest in the rally-scoring era.
"Honestly, the ideal night would've been to just win," Morris said. "We just fell short there. I'm super pumped that I hit 1,000, but there's also that part of it."
Morris entered the match with 982 career digs. Earlier this season, she had a career-high 25 digs against UCF, and she came off back-to-back 20-dig performances at the Rice Adidas Invitational. Her 16 career matches with at least 20 digs ranks fourth in school history.
Morris is also one of just two K-State players in the rally-scoring era to average more than 4.00 digs per set. Angie Lastra owns the record at 4.37.
"She's special," K-State head coach Suzie Fritz said. "I've been telling anybody that'll listen that she's special. She doesn't say much, but what you see in a match is what you see every day, and it's pretty unusual, to be honest. There aren't many players where you know exactly what you're going to get every single day. The effort, focus, and incredibly high achieving, maybe to a fault, but what you see in the plays that you see in a match are the plays that she makes every day.
"She rehearses her greatness. That's what makes her really special. She attacks greatness and settles for nothing less, and says very little about it. She's special."
Playing every set as libero in her K-State career, the 5-foot-7 Morris has reached double-digit digs in 13 of 14 matches this season. She entered Saturday ranked second in the Big 12 with 216 total digs and third in averaging 4.41 digs per set.
"Have I felt myself improve this season? Yes, for sure," she said. "I feel super comfortable and just feel super supported by everybody around me on defense, and that I can go for anything, and that I should trust my instincts, and play loose."
Trusting herself, Morris enters the Big 12 season seething with momentum.
"When I get a great dig, I may not show it all the time, but internally I'm freaking out and so pumped, you know what I mean?" she said. "It's the excitement and adrenaline that comes with it, and the team, and them hyping me up. It just makes it so much more fun.
"A dig was a skill that I had to work on and get used to doing. It took a lot of experience, but now it's paid off."
Morris was 10 years old the first time she picked up a volleyball. She decided to join a local rec team because her friends were going to play volleyball as well. She loved being a part of a team.
"You never know what's going to happen or what the next ball is going to be, but you just go all out and give it your best," she said. "We played every Saturday during the fall, and I loved it. Then I actually fell in love with it."
Morris was named 2018 6A District 2 Defensive Player of the Year in addition to first team all-state honors following her junior season at Ursuline Academy in Dallas. She also helped her club team, Excel, to a third-place finish at the 2018 USAV Junior National Championship and was named to the all-tournament team.
Although several schools recruited Morris, she opted to join the K-State program. She fell in love with the campus, facilities and people while on her official visit.
"I liked all the girls on the team and what the coaches were doing," she said, "so I thought it'd be a great fit."
She fit in just fine.
She became the first freshman in school history to lead the team in digs in every match.
"I stepped into a new role in a whole new level of competition in college," she said. "I saw I was capable, and saw the results that I wanted, and my hard work created success. My freshman year was just a really good boost of confidence."
Last season, she ranked fifth in the Big 12 with 3.96 digs per set (424 total digs) and seventh with 32 service aces. She recorded 20-plus digs in six matches, including a season-high 24 digs against Weber State. She reached double-digit digs 21 times, including 11 straight matches.
"I know nobody is going to give it to me — I have to earn it," she said. "Every day, we do a really good job knowing nothing is given to us, and we're out here to compete, and the inner drive and determination in me really helps me give my all every single day."
K-State next travels to meet Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas, at 6 p.m. Wednesday, then hosts Iowa State next Sunday at 3:30 p.m. The matchup against the Red Raiders will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ while the home matchup with the Cyclones with be nationally televised on ESPNU.
"I'm really excited for the Big 12," she said. "It's going to be a grind. We're going to see some really great teams, so we have to compete every week."
The end goal? Another NCAA Tournament berth.
"It would mean everything," she said. "It'd just prove all our hard work this season as a team and it's always the goal for every season, but it'd be so special."
Morris' milestone made for a special day on Saturday.
She was able to share her achievement with her parents.
"It meant a lot," she said. "They helped me get to this point. They're the ones who put me in volleyball, who drove me to practice every day. I'm super grateful for them and all they've done for me to get to this point, and I'm just happy they were here to share it with me."
Kansas State junior Mackenzie Morris raced into the record books in the Big 12 Conference opener against Kansas on Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum when she recorded her 1,000th career dig, becoming the fastest in school history to reach the milestone.
With her parents Lorraine and Mitch in the stands, Morris, a native of Dallas, Texas, dazzled and recorded a match-high 20 digs in the Wildcats' five-set loss to the Jayhawks — 25-19, 25-23, 20-25, 20-25 and 15-7.
It took Morris just 63 matches to achieve her milestone, fastest in the rally-scoring era.
"Honestly, the ideal night would've been to just win," Morris said. "We just fell short there. I'm super pumped that I hit 1,000, but there's also that part of it."
Morris entered the match with 982 career digs. Earlier this season, she had a career-high 25 digs against UCF, and she came off back-to-back 20-dig performances at the Rice Adidas Invitational. Her 16 career matches with at least 20 digs ranks fourth in school history.
Morris is also one of just two K-State players in the rally-scoring era to average more than 4.00 digs per set. Angie Lastra owns the record at 4.37.
"She's special," K-State head coach Suzie Fritz said. "I've been telling anybody that'll listen that she's special. She doesn't say much, but what you see in a match is what you see every day, and it's pretty unusual, to be honest. There aren't many players where you know exactly what you're going to get every single day. The effort, focus, and incredibly high achieving, maybe to a fault, but what you see in the plays that you see in a match are the plays that she makes every day.
"She rehearses her greatness. That's what makes her really special. She attacks greatness and settles for nothing less, and says very little about it. She's special."
Playing every set as libero in her K-State career, the 5-foot-7 Morris has reached double-digit digs in 13 of 14 matches this season. She entered Saturday ranked second in the Big 12 with 216 total digs and third in averaging 4.41 digs per set.
"Have I felt myself improve this season? Yes, for sure," she said. "I feel super comfortable and just feel super supported by everybody around me on defense, and that I can go for anything, and that I should trust my instincts, and play loose."
Trusting herself, Morris enters the Big 12 season seething with momentum.
"When I get a great dig, I may not show it all the time, but internally I'm freaking out and so pumped, you know what I mean?" she said. "It's the excitement and adrenaline that comes with it, and the team, and them hyping me up. It just makes it so much more fun.
"A dig was a skill that I had to work on and get used to doing. It took a lot of experience, but now it's paid off."
Morris was 10 years old the first time she picked up a volleyball. She decided to join a local rec team because her friends were going to play volleyball as well. She loved being a part of a team.
"You never know what's going to happen or what the next ball is going to be, but you just go all out and give it your best," she said. "We played every Saturday during the fall, and I loved it. Then I actually fell in love with it."
Morris was named 2018 6A District 2 Defensive Player of the Year in addition to first team all-state honors following her junior season at Ursuline Academy in Dallas. She also helped her club team, Excel, to a third-place finish at the 2018 USAV Junior National Championship and was named to the all-tournament team.
Although several schools recruited Morris, she opted to join the K-State program. She fell in love with the campus, facilities and people while on her official visit.
"I liked all the girls on the team and what the coaches were doing," she said, "so I thought it'd be a great fit."
She fit in just fine.
She became the first freshman in school history to lead the team in digs in every match.
"I stepped into a new role in a whole new level of competition in college," she said. "I saw I was capable, and saw the results that I wanted, and my hard work created success. My freshman year was just a really good boost of confidence."
Last season, she ranked fifth in the Big 12 with 3.96 digs per set (424 total digs) and seventh with 32 service aces. She recorded 20-plus digs in six matches, including a season-high 24 digs against Weber State. She reached double-digit digs 21 times, including 11 straight matches.
"I know nobody is going to give it to me — I have to earn it," she said. "Every day, we do a really good job knowing nothing is given to us, and we're out here to compete, and the inner drive and determination in me really helps me give my all every single day."
K-State next travels to meet Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas, at 6 p.m. Wednesday, then hosts Iowa State next Sunday at 3:30 p.m. The matchup against the Red Raiders will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ while the home matchup with the Cyclones with be nationally televised on ESPNU.
"I'm really excited for the Big 12," she said. "It's going to be a grind. We're going to see some really great teams, so we have to compete every week."
The end goal? Another NCAA Tournament berth.
"It would mean everything," she said. "It'd just prove all our hard work this season as a team and it's always the goal for every season, but it'd be so special."
Morris' milestone made for a special day on Saturday.
She was able to share her achievement with her parents.
"It meant a lot," she said. "They helped me get to this point. They're the ones who put me in volleyball, who drove me to practice every day. I'm super grateful for them and all they've done for me to get to this point, and I'm just happy they were here to share it with me."
Players Mentioned
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