The Return of Carter’s Competitive Spirit
Sep 19, 2023 | Volleyball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
In the third set, you could see how much fun Aliyah Carter is having this year. Carter spun the ball, served it, and … POINT CATS. She spun the ball, served it again, and … POINT CATS. She was on a roll. She was feeling it. But it wasn't about her. On and on they scored. Her teammates were flat-out drilling the ball. And she was ecstatic.
You must understand the 5-foot-10 Carter, a senior, and a native of Dubuque, Iowa, might be one of the most talented volleyball players in Kansas State history. She assuredly is one of the most competitive players Jason Mansfield has ever coached. He said so after K-State crushed Long Island in straight sets (25-20, 25-11, 25-10) in the K-State Invitational last Thursday at Morgan Family Arena.
Mansfield is in his first season as K-State's head coach and has been a part of seven Final Fours and one national championship as one of the most experienced and accomplished assistant coaches in the country. He has coached five players who've advanced to compete in the Olympic Games for Team USA.
Do you know what Mansfield said? Do you know what he said inside the postgame interview room?
"There aren't very many people I've coached who are more competitive than Aliyah," Mansfield said. "She cares a lot, and she cares about the right things. Her growth in all areas of the game have been phenomenal since January."
Yes, Carter cares. And she cares about the right things. She's blessed with a 35-inch vertical jump, outstanding vision, and elite athleticism that makes the three-time Preseason All-Big 12 selection amongst the most feared and respective players in the league. There it is, lined out in the K-State game notes, things like, "20-KILL MATCHES" and "FASTEST TO 500 KILLS" and "FASTEST TO 1,000 KILLS" and "CAREER KILLS" and Carter is climbing the ranks in each category.
Currently, she has 1,087 kills and 550 digs in her career. She ranks 16th all-time in career kills, sixth all-time with 13 20-kill matches in a career, and was the fastest to 500 kills and 1,000 kills in the rally-scoring era (since 2001). Her 3.65 kills per set ranks third. She is also 19th all-time with 1,225 career points.
Then there's this: She is one of four players from the Big 12 with at least 1,000 kills alongside Houston's Abbie Jackson (1,720), TCU's Julia Adams (1,117) and Texas' Madisen Skinner (1,024).
K-State finished the non-conference season with a 6-3 record and opens the Big 12 Conference season against TCU on Thursday and Friday in 6:30 p.m. meetings at Morgan Family Arena.
Spend a few minutes with Carter and it becomes entirely evident that none of that matters if she can't help take the Wildcats places this season, if they can't finish with respectability in Mansfield's first campaign, and if they can't make it to the NCAA Tournament — and not just participate, but go far.
"I strive for this feeling of, 'Wow, we did that,'" she says. "We have the foundation to go far and make a great run, and that's really all I want. I don't care about anything else. As long as the team does as best it can and make it far, I'm good with that."
Carter, one of three finalists for the 2019 All-Female Iowa Athlete of the Year Award, jokes that she's old. That her knees ache. And that her shoulder can ache. But she grins, because she knows that she's in her prime, she's just getting warmed up, and that's what Mansfield and the new volleyball arena have done, really, they've reinvigorated Carter, and she's in a way, despite her past greatness, starting with a new foundation.
Carter, you might remember, was the first player in the history of K-State to earn unanimous first team all-conference honors as both a freshman and a sophomore. She was the first K-State player to be named All-Big 12 first team in consecutive seasons since Katie Brand in 2014-16.
But she hit a rut her junior season. Things just didn't feel the same way. Sometimes things just felt amiss. Her productivity dipped, her frustration rose, the Wildcats were unable to slip in the NCAA Tournament, and momentum kind of waned for the talented player who once said, "I always have a killer instinct."
"I won't ever be able to get my freshman, sophomore and junior years back, but being able to start my senior year this way feels great," she says. "It's kind of like a refresh, but I remember where I was in the past – the springs in Ahearn Field House, and playing in Bramlage Coliseum during COVID. So, yeah, it's definitely helped me get to where I am today."
And exactly where is Carter today? She's one of the most consistent players for the Wildcats, one of the most experienced players in the Big 12, and she's primed to take off as the league season approaches.
"She's just becoming the player she's meant to become," Mansfield says. "I was really excited when I got the K-State job because Aliyah Carter was here, and we were blessed to have her stay. She's always had the athleticism and it's just a matter of putting it together and making the plays she's capable of making. She's doing that at a much more consistent level this year.
"I don't think it's me. She's been ready for this for a couple years."
There was a time when everything started to click. And it started shortly after Mansfield was hired late last December. It happened during that initial Zoom call with her new head coach.
"The first conversation with Coach was super nice and laid back," she says. "I was like, 'OK, he's the type of person I want to learn from.'
"One-hundred percent I owe a lot of what's going on so far to the coaching staff just because, I mean, we all saw it. Last year, I wasn't playing how everyone knew I could play, and I had higher expectations for myself as well. Yes, I'm athletic, but also having someone right there next to you teaching you and telling you the basics — the first thing he said to me is, 'You jump high. You can hit over these girls.' I was like, 'You're right.' It's little things like that. It's been great so far."
And thus began the most important offseason of Carter's life. She was going to get her groove back.
"I just wanted to compete the way I did my freshman and sophomore year," she says. "I feel like I kind of lost my competitiveness. I definitely got that back. Volleyball has always come naturally to me just being athletic and being able to jump and see things on the court, and I kind of went blind for a second.
"I just worked on my shots making sure I hit high, and this is the first year I feel that I'm actually consistent, whether that's passing or hitting. I just really worked on getting stronger and more of the mental side of the game."
Which brings us to the third set in a runaway against Long Island last Friday. Yes, about every time Carter touched the ball, it resulted in POINT CATS. And it makes you eager for the Big 12 to begin because POINT CATS can become contagious, especially with Carter on the court, and there'll assuredly be a lot of Carter, Carter and more Carter for the Wildcats, who are almost certain to compete for a chance to reach the postseason.
And even after the season is complete, Carter will be on her way to receiving her college diploma, and there's even better news in store for next year: Carter is going to come back for her fifth season. Which should make the Wildcats a force to be reckoned with again.
"Hopefully, she feels valued and feels that she's getting better," Mansfield says. "There's no doubt that she's doing the things that she's capable of doing every match, and she's playing at a really high level. We just need her to keep getting better and keep taking those big swings."
POINT CATS.
Carter cares. And she smiles.
Her new chapter has just begun.
In the third set, you could see how much fun Aliyah Carter is having this year. Carter spun the ball, served it, and … POINT CATS. She spun the ball, served it again, and … POINT CATS. She was on a roll. She was feeling it. But it wasn't about her. On and on they scored. Her teammates were flat-out drilling the ball. And she was ecstatic.
You must understand the 5-foot-10 Carter, a senior, and a native of Dubuque, Iowa, might be one of the most talented volleyball players in Kansas State history. She assuredly is one of the most competitive players Jason Mansfield has ever coached. He said so after K-State crushed Long Island in straight sets (25-20, 25-11, 25-10) in the K-State Invitational last Thursday at Morgan Family Arena.
Mansfield is in his first season as K-State's head coach and has been a part of seven Final Fours and one national championship as one of the most experienced and accomplished assistant coaches in the country. He has coached five players who've advanced to compete in the Olympic Games for Team USA.
Do you know what Mansfield said? Do you know what he said inside the postgame interview room?
"There aren't very many people I've coached who are more competitive than Aliyah," Mansfield said. "She cares a lot, and she cares about the right things. Her growth in all areas of the game have been phenomenal since January."
Yes, Carter cares. And she cares about the right things. She's blessed with a 35-inch vertical jump, outstanding vision, and elite athleticism that makes the three-time Preseason All-Big 12 selection amongst the most feared and respective players in the league. There it is, lined out in the K-State game notes, things like, "20-KILL MATCHES" and "FASTEST TO 500 KILLS" and "FASTEST TO 1,000 KILLS" and "CAREER KILLS" and Carter is climbing the ranks in each category.
Currently, she has 1,087 kills and 550 digs in her career. She ranks 16th all-time in career kills, sixth all-time with 13 20-kill matches in a career, and was the fastest to 500 kills and 1,000 kills in the rally-scoring era (since 2001). Her 3.65 kills per set ranks third. She is also 19th all-time with 1,225 career points.
Then there's this: She is one of four players from the Big 12 with at least 1,000 kills alongside Houston's Abbie Jackson (1,720), TCU's Julia Adams (1,117) and Texas' Madisen Skinner (1,024).
K-State finished the non-conference season with a 6-3 record and opens the Big 12 Conference season against TCU on Thursday and Friday in 6:30 p.m. meetings at Morgan Family Arena.
Spend a few minutes with Carter and it becomes entirely evident that none of that matters if she can't help take the Wildcats places this season, if they can't finish with respectability in Mansfield's first campaign, and if they can't make it to the NCAA Tournament — and not just participate, but go far.
"I strive for this feeling of, 'Wow, we did that,'" she says. "We have the foundation to go far and make a great run, and that's really all I want. I don't care about anything else. As long as the team does as best it can and make it far, I'm good with that."
Carter, one of three finalists for the 2019 All-Female Iowa Athlete of the Year Award, jokes that she's old. That her knees ache. And that her shoulder can ache. But she grins, because she knows that she's in her prime, she's just getting warmed up, and that's what Mansfield and the new volleyball arena have done, really, they've reinvigorated Carter, and she's in a way, despite her past greatness, starting with a new foundation.
Carter, you might remember, was the first player in the history of K-State to earn unanimous first team all-conference honors as both a freshman and a sophomore. She was the first K-State player to be named All-Big 12 first team in consecutive seasons since Katie Brand in 2014-16.
But she hit a rut her junior season. Things just didn't feel the same way. Sometimes things just felt amiss. Her productivity dipped, her frustration rose, the Wildcats were unable to slip in the NCAA Tournament, and momentum kind of waned for the talented player who once said, "I always have a killer instinct."
"I won't ever be able to get my freshman, sophomore and junior years back, but being able to start my senior year this way feels great," she says. "It's kind of like a refresh, but I remember where I was in the past – the springs in Ahearn Field House, and playing in Bramlage Coliseum during COVID. So, yeah, it's definitely helped me get to where I am today."
And exactly where is Carter today? She's one of the most consistent players for the Wildcats, one of the most experienced players in the Big 12, and she's primed to take off as the league season approaches.
"She's just becoming the player she's meant to become," Mansfield says. "I was really excited when I got the K-State job because Aliyah Carter was here, and we were blessed to have her stay. She's always had the athleticism and it's just a matter of putting it together and making the plays she's capable of making. She's doing that at a much more consistent level this year.
"I don't think it's me. She's been ready for this for a couple years."
There was a time when everything started to click. And it started shortly after Mansfield was hired late last December. It happened during that initial Zoom call with her new head coach.
"The first conversation with Coach was super nice and laid back," she says. "I was like, 'OK, he's the type of person I want to learn from.'
"One-hundred percent I owe a lot of what's going on so far to the coaching staff just because, I mean, we all saw it. Last year, I wasn't playing how everyone knew I could play, and I had higher expectations for myself as well. Yes, I'm athletic, but also having someone right there next to you teaching you and telling you the basics — the first thing he said to me is, 'You jump high. You can hit over these girls.' I was like, 'You're right.' It's little things like that. It's been great so far."
And thus began the most important offseason of Carter's life. She was going to get her groove back.
"I just wanted to compete the way I did my freshman and sophomore year," she says. "I feel like I kind of lost my competitiveness. I definitely got that back. Volleyball has always come naturally to me just being athletic and being able to jump and see things on the court, and I kind of went blind for a second.
"I just worked on my shots making sure I hit high, and this is the first year I feel that I'm actually consistent, whether that's passing or hitting. I just really worked on getting stronger and more of the mental side of the game."
Which brings us to the third set in a runaway against Long Island last Friday. Yes, about every time Carter touched the ball, it resulted in POINT CATS. And it makes you eager for the Big 12 to begin because POINT CATS can become contagious, especially with Carter on the court, and there'll assuredly be a lot of Carter, Carter and more Carter for the Wildcats, who are almost certain to compete for a chance to reach the postseason.
And even after the season is complete, Carter will be on her way to receiving her college diploma, and there's even better news in store for next year: Carter is going to come back for her fifth season. Which should make the Wildcats a force to be reckoned with again.
"Hopefully, she feels valued and feels that she's getting better," Mansfield says. "There's no doubt that she's doing the things that she's capable of doing every match, and she's playing at a really high level. We just need her to keep getting better and keep taking those big swings."
POINT CATS.
Carter cares. And she smiles.
Her new chapter has just begun.
Players Mentioned
OH/OPP
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