Hinkle on the Cusp of Elite Status
Oct 24, 2023 | Volleyball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Loren Hinkle isn't trying to count down the matches until the end of her career. The Kansas State defensive specialist and setter has more work to do for the Wildcats.
As K-State continues to fight for a spot near the top of the logjam in the Big 12 Conference in the first campaign under head coach Jason Mansfield, the 5-foot-9 humble Hinkle inches toward greatness in the all-time record books.
She is 19 shy of 1,000 career digs, which would put her in the Double-Grand Club. She would become just the ninth player in K-State history to reach 1,000 in two statistical categories. She reached 1,000 assists in 2022 and currently has 1,305 in her career. She also has 122 service aces.
But that's not all that it's about. She has emerged as one of the team's top leaders.
"Honestly, despite all the numbers, I'm probably most proud of how far I've come as a teammate and as a person," Hinkle said. "Comparing myself to my freshman and sophomore self, I'm proud of how I've been able to communicate with people and step into a leadership and mentor type of role with younger players.
"I'd say that's what I'm most proud of, is setting myself aside sometimes just to be a good teammate."
K-State, 11-8 overall and 5-5 in the Big 12, comes off a series split at Oklahoma. After falling just short in a five-set thriller, the Wildcats responded with three-straight wins — 25-23, 25-18 and 25-15 — at McCasland Field House.
The Wildcats next face No. 8 BYU on Thursday and Friday at Morgan Family Arena.
"This season has been a lot of fun," Hinkle says. "The way that us girls have formed bonds with each other is so special and important because it helps propel us to create our achievements."
Hinkle, a native of Shawnee, Kansas, began playing soccer at age 4 and volleyball at age 8.
"I liked the variety of volleyball," she says. "It was fun because something different was always happening each point. It was pretty cool, especially at a young age, when you could see growth and improvements. That was a big factor why I liked volleyball."
Hinkle came to K-State after a standout career at De Soto High School, where she played outside hitter, defensive specialist and setter. As a setter her senior year, she led her team to a 5A substate championship while earning 5A all-state honorable mention.
"The recruiting process was kind of different because I'd been kind of switched around from so many positions that it was hard to know for sure what my college career would look like," she says, "but it was pretty clear that K-State had wanted me to come in as a libero or passer, and at the time it made sense because I hadn't been setting. Then my junior year of high school I started setting again, and other schools started saying, 'Oh, hey, we haven't seen her — who is that setter?' I was pretty much a brand new setter.
"By that time, I'd already committed to K-State, which was fine because I loved K-State. It worked out that I got to start setting again, so that was pretty cool. It was pretty simple from the start. I really liked the idea of going to K-State as soon as they reached out to me."
As a freshman, she recorded 308 digs to finish second on the team and led the Wildcats with 25 service aces. Her 201 digs in Big 12 play ranked first among freshmen in the league. As a sophomore, she had 154 digs and was second on the team with 20 service aces. As a junior, she ranked fourth on the team with 204 digs, second with 53 assists and fourth in the league with 34 service aces.
Last season, she was named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team with a 4.0 grade-point average and became the 21st Wildcat to reach 100 service aces. She finished with 209 digs, 57 blocks, 21 kills and 34 aces. She eclipsed the 50-assist mark four times and turned in at least 40 assists 12 times.
As for the biggest challenge in her career?
"Probably just the mental side of being a student-athlete," she says. "Perfectionism is something I'd struggled with, just trying to find enjoyment in the process even if I'm not getting the result that I want. That's definitely something you have to be mindful of every single day. You have to build a habit around enjoying the process.
"I'm proud of how far I've come with that."
If Hinkle finishes her career with 1,000 digs and 1,000 assists, she would become just the fourth K-State player ever to do so in those two categories, joining Gabby Guerre (2000-01), Caitlyn Donahue (2009-12) and Katie Brand (2013-16).
As time ticks down toward the end of the Wildcats' regular seas0n — they have eight matches to go — Hinkle reflects upon some of her favorite moments.
"Definitely the team finishing third in the Big 12 was cool even though it was clouded by COVID, but more specifically the match this year against Nebraska. Even though we lost, our environment was insane and unmatched," she says. "That has to be my favorite moment at K-State."
Hopefully, there are more to come.
Loren Hinkle isn't trying to count down the matches until the end of her career. The Kansas State defensive specialist and setter has more work to do for the Wildcats.
As K-State continues to fight for a spot near the top of the logjam in the Big 12 Conference in the first campaign under head coach Jason Mansfield, the 5-foot-9 humble Hinkle inches toward greatness in the all-time record books.
She is 19 shy of 1,000 career digs, which would put her in the Double-Grand Club. She would become just the ninth player in K-State history to reach 1,000 in two statistical categories. She reached 1,000 assists in 2022 and currently has 1,305 in her career. She also has 122 service aces.
But that's not all that it's about. She has emerged as one of the team's top leaders.
"Honestly, despite all the numbers, I'm probably most proud of how far I've come as a teammate and as a person," Hinkle said. "Comparing myself to my freshman and sophomore self, I'm proud of how I've been able to communicate with people and step into a leadership and mentor type of role with younger players.
"I'd say that's what I'm most proud of, is setting myself aside sometimes just to be a good teammate."
K-State, 11-8 overall and 5-5 in the Big 12, comes off a series split at Oklahoma. After falling just short in a five-set thriller, the Wildcats responded with three-straight wins — 25-23, 25-18 and 25-15 — at McCasland Field House.
The Wildcats next face No. 8 BYU on Thursday and Friday at Morgan Family Arena.
"This season has been a lot of fun," Hinkle says. "The way that us girls have formed bonds with each other is so special and important because it helps propel us to create our achievements."
Hinkle, a native of Shawnee, Kansas, began playing soccer at age 4 and volleyball at age 8.
"I liked the variety of volleyball," she says. "It was fun because something different was always happening each point. It was pretty cool, especially at a young age, when you could see growth and improvements. That was a big factor why I liked volleyball."
Hinkle came to K-State after a standout career at De Soto High School, where she played outside hitter, defensive specialist and setter. As a setter her senior year, she led her team to a 5A substate championship while earning 5A all-state honorable mention.
"The recruiting process was kind of different because I'd been kind of switched around from so many positions that it was hard to know for sure what my college career would look like," she says, "but it was pretty clear that K-State had wanted me to come in as a libero or passer, and at the time it made sense because I hadn't been setting. Then my junior year of high school I started setting again, and other schools started saying, 'Oh, hey, we haven't seen her — who is that setter?' I was pretty much a brand new setter.
"By that time, I'd already committed to K-State, which was fine because I loved K-State. It worked out that I got to start setting again, so that was pretty cool. It was pretty simple from the start. I really liked the idea of going to K-State as soon as they reached out to me."
As a freshman, she recorded 308 digs to finish second on the team and led the Wildcats with 25 service aces. Her 201 digs in Big 12 play ranked first among freshmen in the league. As a sophomore, she had 154 digs and was second on the team with 20 service aces. As a junior, she ranked fourth on the team with 204 digs, second with 53 assists and fourth in the league with 34 service aces.
Last season, she was named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team with a 4.0 grade-point average and became the 21st Wildcat to reach 100 service aces. She finished with 209 digs, 57 blocks, 21 kills and 34 aces. She eclipsed the 50-assist mark four times and turned in at least 40 assists 12 times.
As for the biggest challenge in her career?
"Probably just the mental side of being a student-athlete," she says. "Perfectionism is something I'd struggled with, just trying to find enjoyment in the process even if I'm not getting the result that I want. That's definitely something you have to be mindful of every single day. You have to build a habit around enjoying the process.
"I'm proud of how far I've come with that."
If Hinkle finishes her career with 1,000 digs and 1,000 assists, she would become just the fourth K-State player ever to do so in those two categories, joining Gabby Guerre (2000-01), Caitlyn Donahue (2009-12) and Katie Brand (2013-16).
As time ticks down toward the end of the Wildcats' regular seas0n — they have eight matches to go — Hinkle reflects upon some of her favorite moments.
"Definitely the team finishing third in the Big 12 was cool even though it was clouded by COVID, but more specifically the match this year against Nebraska. Even though we lost, our environment was insane and unmatched," she says. "That has to be my favorite moment at K-State."
Hopefully, there are more to come.
Players Mentioned
S
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