Kansas State University Athletics
‘It was Very Electric and Special’
Sep 05, 2023 | Volleyball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Welcome. You're just in time. Step on inside. You won't disturb a thing. On the south side of the volleyball court, jumping and hitting and bouncing in their white tops and black bottoms — that's the Kansas State women's volleyball team. And this is their special night. On the north side, dressed in all black with red accents, that's Omaha, and don't let them know it, not yet, but they'll lose in three straight sets to the Wildcats.
But that's just a part of the story.
The story here is about the beginning of a new era, and it begins promptly and exactly at 5:39 p.m., on September 1, when the K-State team rushes onto the court for the first time, alumni chairbacks filling up, student section filling up, a K-State pep band blaring its horns, Wabash Cannonball – yes, Wabash – playing and echoing across Morgan Family Arena for the first time in history. And yes, everything at Morgan Family Arena is new, and everything is a first, and on this evening of firsts, it becomes important to introduce first-year head coach Jason Mansfield, the benefactor of this grand arena, growing louder by the moment, yet still not hitting a climax, which it will finally at 8:13 p.m., when the last of the volleyballs hit the court — this one, an attack error by Omaha — as K-State purple- and white- and lavender-clad Wildcat fans clap and yell, and the K-State student section loses its collective mind, and the K-State players hug again on the south side of the court — victors.
It's a grand day and a grand night inside this grand arena, a dream of sorts, the latest jewel in a crown of athletic construction that ranks among the most impressive in the college landscape today. Amazing what K-State Athletics has accomplished in the last 10 years. The two-level, air-conditioned arena seats 3,044 fans on this grand opening, and this place has everything — two video boards, team meeting rooms, a conference room, locker rooms, a team theater, a lounge, and coaches offices. The estimated cost of the project was $24 million, all privately funded, and spearheaded by Ward and Brenda Morgan. At the ribbon cutting earlier in the day and hours before the inaugural match inside the new arena, Brenda grows emotion on stage while attempting to put into words exactly what this momentous day means to K-State women's volleyball, and it means so, so much to players such as senior setter Loren Hinkle, a native of Shawnee, Kansas, and senior outside hitter Aliyah Carter, a native of Dubuque, Iowa.
"We've heard arenas this loud," Carter says. "My sophomore year, we went to Nebraska, and we've heard arenas this loud, but we've never heard those crowd on our side — for us. And it was right here. And you look around and everyone is smiling, cheering and wearing purple. I liked that. That was nuts."
Yes sir, it's hard not to shed a tear over this opening of Morgan Family Arena for a program that began in 1974, back in Ahearn Field House, where 3,000 sounded like 10,000, and where over the years the Old Barn shook each time the crowd yelled, "Point Cats!" But that was so long ago, and buildings grow old, and so the Wildcats eventually needed a new home, spent three years playing at Bramlage Coliseum as Morgan Family Arena was designed, constructed and completed.
The players couldn't envision exactly what it would be like, as they took their initial tour of the palace many months ago, but there a realization with each step that something magical was primed to take form. They felt at home.
"It's a lot more close-knit," says Hinkle, who played matches at Ahearn and Bramlage. "There's just the right amount of space for a volleyball game."
Now it's here, the beginning of a new era, under Mansfield, who was appointed on December 27, 2022 after compiling more than 480 victories as an assistant coach with stints at Stanford, Illinois and Washington. Mansfield has been a part of national championships and 14 NCAA Tournaments, and he's eager to help the Wildcats go places and consistently steer their seasons into the postseason.
"The excitement of the fans and the support that we have, I don't know anything different," he says. "This is my first match at K-State at home. I hope they're all like this. Yeah, this is a special place. We're 1 for 1 of having an environment where it feels special."
He adds: "Not every place is like this. It's unfortunate for women's volleyball, but this is what it should be like at every single place — but it's not. This is what the girls deserve."
Mansfield woke early in the morning hopeful that the Wildcats would play well. He didn't want the moment to become too big for his squad. After beating Omaha, 25-21, in the first set, the Wildcats stormed back from deficits in the second and third sets to win, 25-23 and 25-23.
After dropping the first set of the season, the Wildcats went on to win 12 straight sets, marking the first 12-1 start since 1978. Mansfield joined former K-State coach Jim Moore as the only head coaches to lead off their first season with a 4-0 record.
"I'm just proud of the way we battled even though we weren't playing as well as we wanted to," Mansfield says. "This exceeded my expectation. It was even better than I thought. My first day here was Kansas versus K-State in men's basketball, and when I saw the student section and how special the fans were, that's what it felt like tonight.
"It felt like that. It was very electric and special."
There are so many people to thank. Many have been thanked already, but Hinkle makes a point to point to the K-State student section.
"I mean, normally the student section is really good at being engaged and being hyped," she says, "but tonight was unlike any other game."
She pauses.
"It's like everything is like, I don't want to say perfect, because not everything is perfect, but it's just great — the fans, the court, everything. Just being in that moment with our team and celebrating, it was amazing."
Adds Carter: "It's as close to perfect as you can get it."
There are so many emotions that come with a sporting event, but this hits different, yes, this special day and special evening for these special players, their special coach, and their special home. Nothing might be the same again. They're on the ground floor of this, of course, and none of this has truly set in, but of all the visions of the night, there's one moment that to Hinkle stands out the most.
"There were little girls on the side looking at our bench," she says. "That was us at one point. Putting that into perspective, that's who we're playing for. It doesn't get any cooler than that."
Who knows? One day, those girls will aspire to carry on the tradition and play inside this fabulous arena, this new home.
And this is just the beginning.
Welcome. You're just in time. Step on inside. You won't disturb a thing. On the south side of the volleyball court, jumping and hitting and bouncing in their white tops and black bottoms — that's the Kansas State women's volleyball team. And this is their special night. On the north side, dressed in all black with red accents, that's Omaha, and don't let them know it, not yet, but they'll lose in three straight sets to the Wildcats.
But that's just a part of the story.
The story here is about the beginning of a new era, and it begins promptly and exactly at 5:39 p.m., on September 1, when the K-State team rushes onto the court for the first time, alumni chairbacks filling up, student section filling up, a K-State pep band blaring its horns, Wabash Cannonball – yes, Wabash – playing and echoing across Morgan Family Arena for the first time in history. And yes, everything at Morgan Family Arena is new, and everything is a first, and on this evening of firsts, it becomes important to introduce first-year head coach Jason Mansfield, the benefactor of this grand arena, growing louder by the moment, yet still not hitting a climax, which it will finally at 8:13 p.m., when the last of the volleyballs hit the court — this one, an attack error by Omaha — as K-State purple- and white- and lavender-clad Wildcat fans clap and yell, and the K-State student section loses its collective mind, and the K-State players hug again on the south side of the court — victors.
It's a grand day and a grand night inside this grand arena, a dream of sorts, the latest jewel in a crown of athletic construction that ranks among the most impressive in the college landscape today. Amazing what K-State Athletics has accomplished in the last 10 years. The two-level, air-conditioned arena seats 3,044 fans on this grand opening, and this place has everything — two video boards, team meeting rooms, a conference room, locker rooms, a team theater, a lounge, and coaches offices. The estimated cost of the project was $24 million, all privately funded, and spearheaded by Ward and Brenda Morgan. At the ribbon cutting earlier in the day and hours before the inaugural match inside the new arena, Brenda grows emotion on stage while attempting to put into words exactly what this momentous day means to K-State women's volleyball, and it means so, so much to players such as senior setter Loren Hinkle, a native of Shawnee, Kansas, and senior outside hitter Aliyah Carter, a native of Dubuque, Iowa.
"We've heard arenas this loud," Carter says. "My sophomore year, we went to Nebraska, and we've heard arenas this loud, but we've never heard those crowd on our side — for us. And it was right here. And you look around and everyone is smiling, cheering and wearing purple. I liked that. That was nuts."
Yes sir, it's hard not to shed a tear over this opening of Morgan Family Arena for a program that began in 1974, back in Ahearn Field House, where 3,000 sounded like 10,000, and where over the years the Old Barn shook each time the crowd yelled, "Point Cats!" But that was so long ago, and buildings grow old, and so the Wildcats eventually needed a new home, spent three years playing at Bramlage Coliseum as Morgan Family Arena was designed, constructed and completed.
The players couldn't envision exactly what it would be like, as they took their initial tour of the palace many months ago, but there a realization with each step that something magical was primed to take form. They felt at home.
"It's a lot more close-knit," says Hinkle, who played matches at Ahearn and Bramlage. "There's just the right amount of space for a volleyball game."
Now it's here, the beginning of a new era, under Mansfield, who was appointed on December 27, 2022 after compiling more than 480 victories as an assistant coach with stints at Stanford, Illinois and Washington. Mansfield has been a part of national championships and 14 NCAA Tournaments, and he's eager to help the Wildcats go places and consistently steer their seasons into the postseason.
"The excitement of the fans and the support that we have, I don't know anything different," he says. "This is my first match at K-State at home. I hope they're all like this. Yeah, this is a special place. We're 1 for 1 of having an environment where it feels special."
He adds: "Not every place is like this. It's unfortunate for women's volleyball, but this is what it should be like at every single place — but it's not. This is what the girls deserve."
Mansfield woke early in the morning hopeful that the Wildcats would play well. He didn't want the moment to become too big for his squad. After beating Omaha, 25-21, in the first set, the Wildcats stormed back from deficits in the second and third sets to win, 25-23 and 25-23.
After dropping the first set of the season, the Wildcats went on to win 12 straight sets, marking the first 12-1 start since 1978. Mansfield joined former K-State coach Jim Moore as the only head coaches to lead off their first season with a 4-0 record.
"I'm just proud of the way we battled even though we weren't playing as well as we wanted to," Mansfield says. "This exceeded my expectation. It was even better than I thought. My first day here was Kansas versus K-State in men's basketball, and when I saw the student section and how special the fans were, that's what it felt like tonight.
"It felt like that. It was very electric and special."
There are so many people to thank. Many have been thanked already, but Hinkle makes a point to point to the K-State student section.
"I mean, normally the student section is really good at being engaged and being hyped," she says, "but tonight was unlike any other game."
She pauses.
"It's like everything is like, I don't want to say perfect, because not everything is perfect, but it's just great — the fans, the court, everything. Just being in that moment with our team and celebrating, it was amazing."
Adds Carter: "It's as close to perfect as you can get it."
There are so many emotions that come with a sporting event, but this hits different, yes, this special day and special evening for these special players, their special coach, and their special home. Nothing might be the same again. They're on the ground floor of this, of course, and none of this has truly set in, but of all the visions of the night, there's one moment that to Hinkle stands out the most.
"There were little girls on the side looking at our bench," she says. "That was us at one point. Putting that into perspective, that's who we're playing for. It doesn't get any cooler than that."
Who knows? One day, those girls will aspire to carry on the tradition and play inside this fabulous arena, this new home.
And this is just the beginning.
Players Mentioned
OH/OPP
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