Sophomore backcourt duo ignites K-State in win

Heading into this season, Kansas State women's basketball coach Deb Patterson had no problem admitting there were several lingering questions. If one of those was the leadership and growth of her two sophomore guards, well they might have been answered Sunday afternoon.

Taelor Karr and Brittany Chambers sprinted out of the gate from the opening tip against UC Davis, leading K-State to an early 22-5 lead in the opening 10 minutes of the game.

The early run, which was perhaps their best start to a game this season, allowed the Wildcats to cruise to a 61-41 victory and improve to 8-1 on the season in their final nonconference home game of the season.

"I thought offensively we came into the game wano be aggressive with our mentality," Patterson said.

Both Chambers and Karr clearly embodied that mentality in the opening minutes of Sunday's 20-point victory. Karr opened the game with a layup off an Aggie turnover, followed by a layup and back-to-back 3-pointers from Chambers.

"We knew they were going to trap and (play) zone," Chambers said. "I thought we moved the ball quickly and that allowed our guards to get open right away."

Chambers finished the game with 10 points, while Karr netted a game-high 17 points and tied her career-high with 12 rebounds.

Karr made some noise from behind the arc as well, making 3-of-5 from 3-point territory. Meanwhile, her double-double was the first of the season for the Wildcats, and the second of her young career at K-State.

"I feel like both of us have really matured and kind of figured out what we need to do," Karr said . "The game is starting to slowdown for us."

The Chambers-Karr duo combined for 15 of the first 20 Wildcat points in the first half of Sunday's victory.

The hot shooting for Karr on Sunday afternoon, was another sign that after a slow start to the season, she has found her touch. In her last six games, the guard has averaged 13.2 points per game, while shooting 59 percent from the field and 46 percent on 3-pointers.

"I look at our team now, relative to a year ago," Patterson said. "It's easy to overlook the fact that you have three players in the backcourt that are really young. I think they are much transformed."

The Aggies attempted to make a comeback late in the first half with a short 7-2 run with less than 10 minutes remaining. But again, the hot-shooting Karr had an answer.

She strung together back-to-back 3-pointers, followed by a layup from Chambers off an Aggies turnover to push the Cats' lead to 38-13 with 4:07 to go in the half.

The strong first-half performance was enough of a cushion to cruise through the second half and on to their eighth victory of the year.

"We have all been working really hard this year," Karr said. "I feel like that is showing. We have a lot of team chemistry and it's just going to get better throughout the season."

Returning to the floor: Kelsey Hill battles back from knee injury to help Wildcats in 2010

As the clock ticked down to the end of the game Wednesday, Kelsey Hill slowly dribbled the ball up the court and handed it to the referee. The slow dribble signaled Kansas State's seventh win this season, and protected a perfect 6-0 record inside Bramlage Coliseum.

For the Wildcats' senior guard, the win was great, but it was also just as meaningful for her to be back on the court helping in that win. It took the support of her teammates and coaches throughout the course of a long 2009-10 season, but now she was back.

"It's been so much fun," Hill said after the 76-49 victory over North Dakota.

But a little more than a year ago, she had the court and the game of basketball temporarily taken from her.

It was early last October during the first week of practice for the Wildcats. Hill was anxious for the year to start. As an upperclassman with two-years of experience playing for 15th-year head coach Deb Patterson, her junior year looked promising.

"I had finally gotten it," Hill said. "Physically and mentally, I was kind of in my role and ready to go."

But then, after falling down awkwardly on her left knee during a non-contact 3-on-2 drill, her ambitions of a successful junior season suddenly ended.

Immediately, she knew she had blown her anterior cruciate ligament — or ACL — and after confirming it, her junior season was over before it even began.

"It was hard," Hill said. "I had high expectations for myself and as a team and I kind of felt like I couldn't do it."

But after going through two surgeries and a myriad of rehab treatments the 5-foot-5 guard from Lenexa, learned to take on that different role for the Wildcats. While it my not have been the role she was seeking before the season began, she found joy in supporting her teammates from the sideline.

"I realized last year, my role was to really cheer and be the biggest cheerleader I could be," Hill said. "I helped some of the underclassman. We had a lot of freshman guards last year, so I helped them and tried to be there in anyway I could.

"It taught me a lot as a person and as a player. I think it has made me a better teammate."

Now though, as the Wildcats are off to their best start since the 2008-09 season when they reached the second round of the NCAA tournament, Hill has made her way back on the court at a quick pace.

Hill has been a leader coming off the bench this season. She's appeared in all eight games. She tied her season high with six points against North Dakota on Wednesday night.

"It is so much fun," Hill said. "I couldn't really help last year. I could cheer and I could yell, but this year, I feel like I can come in and do some things and lead in different ways, being an upperclassmen."

Her presence and leadership seems to be working, too, as the Wildcats have gone undefeated at home this year and are receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll with conference play beginning in less than a month.

"It's just been a great opportunity," Hill said. "I think if we just keep going game-by-game going into conference play."

The Wildcats will close out a two-game homestand on Sunday when they host UC Davis at 2 p.m. at Bramlage Coliseum.

Karr starting to find stroke for surging Wildcats

Taelor Karr knows she got off to a slow start this season.

But that's in the past, and when the Wildcats fell behind by three points early Wednesday night against North Dakota, she was right there.

The sophomore guard sank a three-pointer to tie the game up at three points, and then followed it up with a layup less than a minute later.

Yes, she proved that the shaky start to her season is well in the past.

"Everything felt good," Karr said after the Wildcats 76-49 victory.

The Paola, Kan. native had the hot-hand Wednesday night, leading all scorers with 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting, going 2-of-3 from behind the three-point line.

It was her fourth night in five games to reach double figures.

"I was getting some good looks," Karr said. "I was wide open on a few and they were just falling for me."

But those shots took some time to fall for Karr as she began the season at a much slower pace.

The sophomore, who finished third on the team in scoring last year with 9.1 points-per-game, struggled to find a rhythm from the floor when the Wildcats began their season last month. She shot just 33 percent in her first three games and failed to hit double-figures in each of them, hitting just three shots from behind the three-point line.

"I was definitely struggling in the beginning of the year," Karr said. "My shot wasn't falling."

But despite her shooting guard's slow start, head coach Deb Patterson didn't show much concern.

"Part of her improvement is just understanding the offense a little better, and when the shots are going to come," Patterson said.

The patience paid off. Karr has shot 40 percent from the field since reaching double figures for the first time this season in a 63-53 win over Western Illinois on Nov. 21.

Just this weekend Karr notched a season-high 17 points while shooting 3-of-6 from beyond the arc on Sunday afternoon in a 68-62 loss at Iowa.

Entering Wednesday's game against North Dakota, she was second on the squad in scoring, averaging 10.3 points-per-game.

"Now I feel like my teammates are getting me good looks," Karr said. "They are passing to me when I am open and helping me to play to my strengths. I feel a lot more comfortable now that they are going in."

For the Wildcats' offense to remain in rhythm, it's clear Karr's shooting will play an essential role for the remainder of the season.

"To me, it's just an evolution of establishing a comfort level with the offense and the assertiveness," Patterson said. "Sometimes it's hard early in the season when you don't get into a groove right away with your shot and you get a little gun shy, and I think she has battled her way through that."

Photo- The Manhattan Mercury

Chisholm finding new home at Bramlage

Just a week ago, JuliAnne Chisholm's athletic career was limited to the volleyball court inside Ahearn Field House.

As an outside hitter for the Kansas State volleyball team, she helped the Wildcats beat Colorado 3-2 in their final match of the season on Saturday night.

Chisholm pounded out 18 kills, and ended her career as a decorated Academic All-American.

But again, that was last week.

Now, as is her personality, Chisholm is immersing herself in yet another challenge.

After completing just one practice with the women's basketball team on Monday, she stood at the free throw line Tuesday night in Bramlage Coliseum with less than a minute remaining in the first half against South Dakota State.

The Wildcats were down by seven points, and suddenly she was thrust into a critical moment on the basketball court. She sank one of two shots, and with that single point, her career as a basketball player had now officially begun.

Chisholm and the Wildcats are in Iowa City today to face the No. 18-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes at 2 p.m. K-State, undefeated and receiving votes in both national polls, is looking to improve to 7-0 on the season.

It was thought Chisholm would wait until the semester was over to begin playing basketball with the Cats, but she has never been slow to take on any challenge.

"It's pretty quick," Chisholm said of the transition. "Volleyball season is over, but if I sit around and wait, I'm not going to get any better any faster."

Chisholm played four minutes in her basketball debut Tuesday night and the Wildcats completed a 56-51 comeback-win over the Jackrabbits.

In her prep career, Chisholm was a standout basketball player at Hillsboro High School and was recruited heavily in both sports. She was named first team all-state in 2006 and first team all-region in 2004 and 2005.

She also holds the school record for career points with 2,467.

The accolades in basketball prompted head basketball coach Deb Patterson to recruit Chisholm heavily for her program, but the two-sport star eventually chose volleyball instead.

"I never forgot her," Patterson said. "JuliAnne had been at camp, and was just a great athlete, and honestly, I wish we had snagged her. I really do. I think we waited too long and volleyball went after her real aggressively and they got her and we didn't — but I would have loved to had her."

It wasn't an easy decision for Chisholm to make, though. After her junior season of volleyball at Hillsboro, Fritz offered her a scholarship to play at K-State, despite pleading from Chisholm for more time to continue her basketball career.

Fritz obliged. However, at the conclusion of her junior year on the basketball court, she chose to accept the offer to play on Fritz's team once she arrived at K-State.

"At the end of the day, God had it set out that I was suppose to play volleyball first," Chisholm said. "And that's what I did."

But NCAA rules allow an athlete a five-year window to participate in athletics, with a four-year limit per sport. Therefore Chisholm, now a junior by NCAA standards on the basketball team, will have two seasons of eligibility with the squad.

Knowing the rules during her senior season with the volleyball team, Chisholm found she had a growing urge to take advantage of them, and continue with her basketball career at the conclusion of the volleyball season.

She soon approached Fritz about the idea. Fritz, who also knew very well the caliber of a basketball player Chisholm had been in high school, told her senior that she should indeed give it a try. She then called Patterson to inform her of Chisholm's interest in the basketball program.

"I don't profess to know anything about basketball," Fritz said in an email. "What I do know is that JuliAnne has a tremendous work ethic, very high expectations of herself and is committed to whatever she does at the highest level. In that way, I think she will help our women's basketball team a great deal."

After receiving a call from Fritz, Patterson was trilled.

"I was like, 'Really?'" Patterson said. "It was just like one of those moments when something really good happens in your life and you are like, 'Wow. How did that drop out of the sky?' I was very excited, and then even more so when I talked to JuliAnne and found out she really meant it."

Chisholm began practice with the squad on Monday and has already fit in well with her new team.

"She is a great teammate," Patterson said. "She is a classic K-State leader. During the summer, she had some opportunities to spend time with some of our players. She is just a good person and is an easy blend, and I think we have an easy team to fit in with."

That blend was shown during the game on Tuesday when Chisholm spent the first 15 minutes of the game sitting with senior teammate Shalin Spani on the K-State bench. Spani, who will miss the season with a torn ACL, spent the majority of the first half coaching Chisholm herself, and helping her become familiar with the plays and concepts the Wildcats use.

"That speaks to the leadership of Shalin and Kelsey Hill," Patterson said. "They are coaching her through plays and things that they are hearing me communicate on the sideline, and getting accustomed to the semantics and the learning curve a little bit from the sideline."

Meanwhile, she has still been with the program for less than a week, and it will take some time for Chisholm to become fully immersed into the culture and Patterson's coaching and the playing style of her squad.

She played a total of just four minutes on Tuesday, and admits she still needs to get into shape when it comes to the speed of the game.

"I have a long way to go," Chisholm said.

Though there is a reason Patterson was adamant and welcoming to her new player. With two seasons of eligibility remaining with basketball, Chisholm has time to become comfortable with the systems, and show Patterson the skills she displayed four years ago at Hillsboro.

"I want to make them better and I hope they make me better," Chisholm said. "I haven't played in four years, but I'm excited to do it. I love basketball and I am so excited to get the opportunity to play."

Photo - The Manhattan Mercury

Bench keys Wildcats' decisive second-half comeback

If ever there was a night the Kansas State bench needed to come alive, Tuesday proved to be perhaps the perfect stage for them to do it.

K-State entered the halftime break against South Dakota State facing its first halftime deficit of the season at 27-21, and found itself in desperate need of an answer for the visiting Jackrabbits.

The Wildcats shot just 24 percent in the first half, and with just 20 minutes to play against a pesky South Dakota State squad, faced a challenge ahead of them.

But after a struggling throughout most of the season, the K-State bench had just the answer the Wildcats needed to escape Bramlage Coliseum with a 56-51 win over South Dakota State.

"Everybody kind of stood up and found a way to make a play," KSU coach Deb Patterson said.

A little more than five minutes into the second half, senior guard Kelsey Hill came off the bench and made one of those critical plays by draining a 3-pointer from the left side late in the shot clock to spark a 9-2 run. The run

gave the Wildcats their first lead since jumping out to a 2-0 lead to open the game.

"It was needed," Hill said. "I just kind of relocated, and I was able to get it down. It definitely helped us get going, I think the energy started picking up a little bit."

Hill finished the game with a season-high six points on 2-4 shooting off the bench, all coming from 3-point territory.

"When Kelsey made that 3, I felt that was one of the biggest sparks in a game that didn't even have a warm ember for us," Patterson said. "And then all of a sudden, she hit that shot, and it really injected life into us. I thought that was a really big play. Hats off to her for taking that long shot."

In a game where sophomore guard Brittany Chambers — K-State's leading scorer — struggled from the floor, the bench showed Patterson it could provide a crucial momentum shift of its own.

"It was obvious, I didn't have a great shot tonight," said Chambers, who finished the game with 18 points on 5-of-15 shooting.

"Last year, we didn't have that, it's really comforting, and it's just people stepping up and making big plays."

Prior to Tuesday's match up with South Dakota State, the Wildcat bench had been ice-cold from the field, shooting just 22 percent from the field and just 1-of-28 from 3-point territory this season.

On Tuesday, though, the bench responded and scored 10 points, making 3-of-8 from behind the arc and providing just the answer the Wildcats needed. Brianna Kulas made the other 3-pointer for the Wildcats, while backup forward JuliAnne Chisholm added a free throw.

Photo- The Manhattan Mercury

Mathewson Leaves Legacy at K-State

Take a single moment from any K-State volleyball match and you can see it.

Sometimes it's an elaborate fist pump, an encouraging yell to her teammates, and almost always, it's simply her presence on the court.

It's a passion, a love for the game that senior Lauren Mathewson has brought to Ahearn Field House for four years as a Wildcat.

But it's also a release. She's back home —back to her spot on the court, and the position she has been absent from for days leading up to each match.

So yes, Lauren Mathewson enjoys each moment on the court that she can soak up, because after the match her wait begins, and the pain returns.

But on the court, she does her best to keep the pain to herself.

"I've never been the one to ask more from my teammates," she said. "It's been hard for me to look at them and tell them that I'm going to need help from them this game."

But that's just the way Mathewson carries herself.

It's a high standard, and she embraces the role of an intense and vocal leader on the volleyball court — she always has. It's her nature, and it has been ever since she arrived on the K-State campus as a feisty and motivated freshman from Park Hill South High School in Kansas City, Mo.

"You know how she feels," head coach Suzie Fritz says. "You don't have to ask."

But what those outside the volleyball program may not understand is just how difficult it has been for Mathewson to consistently play at the level she does, one that has earned her a permanent spot as one of the most prolific liberos in K-State history.

She will end her career as a Wildcat ranked second in career digs, and fifth in Big 12 history.

And she did so while playing the final two years at K-State on two bad knees.

Mathewson-The Passionate Leader

She says it's always been the way she plays. Vocal. Intense. Passionate.

You name it. It's part of her game and who she is.

So when she began her career as a Wildcat in 2007, Mathewson did her best to stand out on the court.

"I knew I had to fight," she said. "I knew I had to work hard. I knew it wasn't going to be an easy ride, and so I knew going into it that I expected a lot from myself. From the very beginning I was going to work the hardest that I could day-in and day-out, because I wanted to be one of the six on the court."

That ambitious drive to succeed was felt from her first days in Manhattan, but what she didn't anticipate was that her emotional and passionate approach would eventually become a hindrance as she tried to perfect her game.

Fritz quickly took a notice to her young freshman's fiery approach and her frustration that came with the transition into collegiate volleyball.

"It was to the point of it being debilitating," Fritz said. "Early on, she didn't manage her perfectionism. She wanted everything to be perfect and this is not a game that allows you to do that."

But she grew, and she learned, playing in all 119 sets in her freshman season.

During her sophomore campaign, Mathewson led the Wildcats with 505 digs, ranking fourth in school history for a single season. She had eight matches with 20 or more digs and received Big 12 defensive Player of the Week honors in October of her sophomore season.

"I was starting to realize that I was a good player and I was starting to believe in myself and starting to have confidence in myself," Mathewson said. "I think that helped a lot when I was having a down game or something, I could be simple, and tell myself that I am a great player and I can do this because I have done it before."

But after two complete seasons, the pain in her knees was becoming too much for her to handle and she knew something needed to be done.

The Surgery

Before her junior season began, Mathewson underwent surgery to try and heal the nagging but growing tendonitis condition in both her knees. She had played a combined 243 sets in just two years, and the abuse eventually took a painful toll.

"It just gradually got worse and worse," Mathewson said. "The pain got so bad that I couldn't practice."

However the surgery, which tried to promote healing by scratching the bone in her knees, failed and the pain only worsened, forcing her to find a way to alter the amount of strain she put them through.

So during each practice for two years, she has learned to embrace a different role from a different perspective, and watched her teammates from the sideline.

She guided them, giving support during practices, and in doing so eventually discovered a new passion within the game of volleyball — coaching.

"I realized I get so much joy from teaching other people and kind of helping other people out and seeing them succeed." Mathewson said. "I think that is such an awesome thing to see, and I think that is when I realized I really want to do this."

It wasn't an immediate transition though. Her competitive nature tore at her while sitting on the scorer's table each day, doing all she could to feel involved with the growth of her teammates.

"I want to be out there," Mathewson said. "I'm missing out when I'm not in practice and building those relationships and getting to know the girls better on the court. It's something I have always had to battle emotionally, just because I want to be out there and it's hard to watch your teammates having as much fun as they do in practice every single day."

But life works in funny ways, and Mathewson knows that.

Her sudden inspiration to coach, which was sparked from helping freshman defensive specialist Natalia Dobrosz learn different receiving angles in a practice earlier this season, led her to approach Fritz and tell her she wanted to become a coach herself one day.

Now, she plans on attending graduate school to become a graduate assistant volleyball coach.

Lasting Legacy

For Mathewson, her legacy comes down to her attitude. The approach she came into the program with, and one that has impacted the team consistently for four years.

It was there, each night, each practice, both on the court, and came later in her career from the practice sideline — leading one to believe that perhaps her coaching career started while she was still in the midst of her senior season.

"I don't think there is any question that her interest has peaked since she has had a different perspective," Fritz said. "I (told her) 'if you want to be a great coach you have to think of yourself as a great teacher,' and I think she likes that about it. She wants to help people and she wants to share what she knows and what she learns."

And she has learned a lot. Throughout four years, Mathewson has grown into one of the most decorated defense players in K-State history by learning to tame and manage her intensity and use it as a teaching tool.

So as she leaves K-State, she wants her legacy to be just that, her passion for the game of volleyball.

"I just want them to remember me for intensity and leadership," Mathewson said. "And just the passion I have for this sport, because I really do love this sport. It just means a lot to me."

Photo - The Manhattan Mercury

Northern Finale: On the Road with the Wildcats

Editors Note: On Nov. 10, Kansas State volleyball beat writer Britton Drown traveled with the Wildcats to Lincoln, Neb. and chronicled the duration of the trip as they faced fifth-ranked Nebraska for the final time as members of the Big 12.

The purple and gray Arrow charter bus was about to depart Ahearn Field House Wednesday morning, but Kansas State volleyball coach Suzie Fritz had a simple message for her squad before they left.

Walking down the narrow aisle, Fritz slowly paced toward the middle of the bus, scanned across each of her players and waited for them to settle into their seats.

The team scrambled with their black backpacks, grabbed bagels and water from a seat in the front of the bus, and eventually everyone was seated, ready to embark on the two-hour journey north to Lincoln, Neb.

A brief moment passed and Fritz, with her team's attention, delivered the short message.

"Remember how it feels to win," she said. "You have to think like that."

Just a week ago the Wildcats rediscovered that feeling. The team — after limping through a span of eight-straight losses during the majority of October — beat Texas Tech 3-1 inside Ahearn.

Now, after a week of rest, the team says they have gained a rejuvenated sense of confidence — it was ready for its next challenge.

But this test was much more daunting. Less than 140 miles north on Highway 77 was what many volleyball teams consider the most intimidating atmosphere in the Big 12 and one of the toughest environments in the country — Nebraska Coliseum.

It's loud, cramped, and nearly impossible to escape with a win.

"If the volleyball Gods wanted to build a volleyball court,the Coliseum would be it," Nebraska coach Jim Cook said in the Huskers media guide.

On this day, the Wildcats would try to become the first team this season to knock off Nebraska inside its intimidating coliseum.

And after her players digested the message, Fritz turned around and walked to her seat in the front row. The door shut, the bus pulled forward, and the Wildcats embarked on their two-hour road trip.

•••

Senior libero Lauren Mathewson is perhaps one of the most competitive members on this volleyball squad. She's intense. She's emotional and her team learns from her. Many players even see her as a coach herself.

But it's taken her four years to earn the title and respect. She's learned along the way to handle the challenges of a road trip.

"She is a pretty emotional player by nature," Fritz said. "She's a pretty intense, pretty emotional person, and what she has probably done more than anything is manage those emotions, and manage her intensity in a much more productive way."

It's only 10 a.m. and as she settles into her seat, Mathewson knows there is ample time before she and her teammates would take the court at Nebraska Coliseum. Shehas learned during her time on the team, that part of being an athlete is learning to not only prepare for the match at the right time, but also manage that time during the trip effectively.

Some of the travel time needs to be focused on schoolwork, as well.

"I didn't come in very responsible," she admits. "I think I had to learn... I just use this opportunity when we are traveling to make sure I am catching up. I use every opportunity of downtime to work on school."

It's paid off. Just before this trip to Lincoln, Mathewson was named to the ESPN The Magazine

Academic All-District team, along with teammate and fellow senior JuliAnne Chisholm.

During this trip, she chose a seat near the front of the bus, by herself, and used the time to review marketing notes on her laptop.

Her study material took up two seats.

Meanwhile, Mathewson's teammates congregated near the back, some sleeping, and some talking amongst others.

But for her, studying is part of her routine, something the coaches have stressed with each trip they take.

"The whole time, we are thinking about the match and preparing for it," Mathewson said during a break in her studying. "School kind of keeps us focused and fro

m goofing off. Working on our schoolwork is a way of preparing us mentally."

Soon, though, the ensuing match against Nebraska would be the only thing on the minds of both Mathewson and her teammates.

•••

Nebraska Coliseum sits adjacent to the more physically intimidating Memorial Stadium on the Nebraska campus.

On this cool overcast morning, bleachers from the colossal football stadium jet outward and cast a shadow just short of the coliseum as Mathewson and her teammates exited the bus and walked into the building.

It's shortly past noon, and the players slowly make their way into the coliseum, which doubles as the school's recreation complex. They head toward Court Eight, the 4,030-seat stadium in which they would battle the Huskers in just less than seven hours.

With the abundance of time before the match, the Wildcats take the court and begin their first of two short practices prior to the match.

In the midst of the practice, it's difficult not to feel the immense amount of storied history surrounding the court. It's not only in the myriad of banners that surround the perimeter of the stadium, but the dynasty of Nebraska volleyball is told in the physical structure of the coliseum as well.

Walking up from the bleachers is like flipping through pages of Nebraska volleyball history. Wooden railings from the original structure separate the old concrete bleachers from the newer section that that stretches out to the floor. Banners from nine Big 8 Conference championships hang from one side of the arena, countered by seven Big 12 championship banners on the opposite side.

It's a familiar surrounding for associate head coach Jeff Grove, as he enters his eighth season with the K-State program.

He's well accustomed with the challenge of playing Nebraska in the historic venue.

"It's just the fact that everybody is so close to you here," Grove said. You have 4,000 fans in a small little area. This is just a great feel for volleyball."

And on this night, it's an especially tough task for his young team, as nine freshmen will experience their first match against the Huskers on their home floor.

"You have to make sure that they understand it's volleyball," Grove said. "It's volleyball in front of 4,000 people and it's on TV, but it's still volleyball. The court is the same size ,the net is the same height and when it all comes down to it, we just have to play well on our side of the net and not worry about things you cant control."

•••

Six hours later, it was time. As they always do, 4,122 of the Nebraska faithful packed the coliseum well before the first serve of the night — marking their 144th consecutive sellout.

Nebraska, the top team in the Big 12 with a 22-2 overall record and a 14-1 mark in the league, entered the match undefeated at home.

Beating the Huskers was a daunting task, now in an even more daunting atmosphere.

"Matches like this are a growth experience," Grove said. "Playing one of the top-5 teams in the country can only make you better for matches down the stretch. When you look at a match like this, with a team as young as we are, if we don't win, we need to learn some things from it."

But after the Wildcats fell down 8-0 in the first set, it was clear the intimidating atmosphere took its toll. Nebraska sprinted out of the gate and pounded the Wildcats on their way to a 25-9 win in the opening game.

Suddenly, it looked like this would be a short and frustrating trip.

"I thought we played terrible," Fritz said. "We opened up terrible."

But this match was far from over, and for the Wildcats, it was more important than the score. It was about growth, building off of the confidence from a week of rest and a victory over Texas Tech the week before.

And in the second set, they responded.

K-State regrouped and played perhaps one of their most competitive sets of the season, pushing the Huskers into extra points, but falling 27-25.

"It felt great," sophomore outside hitter Kathleen Ludwig said. "But again, we didn't win and that's another thing where we need to get that expectation, and get those two points."

The Wildcats carried the momentum into the third set, but again fell short 25-23.

With three straight losses, they left Nebraska Coliseum with a 3-0 sweep.

•••

The team faced another two-hour journey home. It was dark, and for the duration of the ride home, Fritz remained in her front seat without addressing the team.

A contrasting feeling filled the seats behind her — had it not been for the slow start, the Wildcats may have been able to steal this one.

But nobody could know for certain. That's just where this team is right now — young. Walking into Nebraska Coliseum, as it has for every team on the Huskers' schedule this season, proved to be too tall of an order.

"There are no moral victories here," Grove said before the bus departed Lincoln. "You have to want to beat teams like that. You have to play well enough over time to beat teams like that, if you want to be a great team. There are lots of positives that we can draw from that match."

In all, it was a 14-hour journey for the Wildcats, and as they returned to Ahearn Field House at midnight, the Cats had more than just a loss to reflect on.

Perhaps Mathewson said it best. This team gained confidence in battling one of the best teams in the country in one of the most intimidating venues in volleyball.

"Knowing they are more confident makes me confident," she said. "That's crucial to believe in each other. Knowing that we are more confident, we are getting back to the team that we are suppose to be."