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."

Cats Run Away in Second Half for Blowout Win

In span of seven minutes on Monday night, Kansas State women's basketball coach Deb Patterson saw just about everything she wanted from her young squad.

Sophomore point guard Brittany Chambers ran the offense smoothly, Jalana Childs finished shots in the post and the Wildcats played stiff defense on the Washburn Lady Blues.

Perhaps most importantly, they were able to shake off a slow first half and build a commanding 30-point lead over Washburn in the opening minutes of the second half.

It proved to come at just the right time, as K-State cruised through the second half toward a 91-47 win over Washburn in its final exhibition test before the regular season begins Friday.

"That's the sign of a good basketball team," Patterson said."

Three Wildcats scored in double figures, led by Childs with 17. Chambers added 15 and freshman forward Brianna Kulas had 12.

The convincing win marked the end of a two-game exhibition run to open preseason play. The Wildcats opened exhibition play with a 91-25 win over Fort Hays State on Thursday.

With two strong showings during preseason play, Patterson said her team is anxious to open the regular season on Friday.

"It's time," she said. "I think everybody is anxious and excited about the challenge ahead."

The Wildcats opened the first half with a quick 7-2 run, but struggled to separate from the Blues throughout the remainder of the half.

"It's early in the season," Patterson said. "Again, we are learning and I think we let the tempo of the game dictate our effort and that needs to be inversed. You have to dictate the tempo you want the game played at. I'm not sure our focus was where it needed to be."

Perhaps the brightest spot in the first half for the Wildcats was the play of Kulas. On the heels of 19-point debut against Fort Hays, the forward from Mission, went 5-for-5 with a 3-pointer in the first half Monday night.

"She has a good feel and a good flow," Patterson said. "She is a good scorer. It was great to see her come back in back-to-back performances with quality production offensively."

The Wildcats entered the halftime break leading 39-25.

Washburn opened the second half quickly, though, as junior guard Stevi Schultz drained an open 3-pointer from the right side just 13 seconds into the half. The quick score sliced the K-State lead to just 11.

"That shot was just a good look and good execution on their part," Patterson said.

But it would be the last bit of noise Washburn would make for much of the remainder of the game. The Wildcats responded to the opening bucket with a basket of their own when Chambers drilled a 3-pointer on the other end, sparking a 19-1 run to silence the Blues and swing the momentum back in the Cats' favor.

"We began to play with the intensity and the concepts that I think are going to make us the most successful," Patterson said. "We just brought a higher attention to it."

The run was anchored by Chambers, who netted 10 points. Childs added six.

"I just knew we needed something to get us going," Childs said. "We do not want to be that team that has the story of two halves — we want to play hard the whole game."

The Wildcats kick their season off on Friday when they face Grambling State in the opening game of the Commerce Bank Wildcat Classic, beginning at noon.

"We know we have a lot of potential," sophomore guard Taelor Karr said. "We are really athletic and we just have to keep working hard because we know that we are young and nobody is really paying any attention to us. We are ready to work hard and surprise a lot of people this season."

Photo- The Manhattan Mercury

Break Comes at Right Time for Cats

It's been a while since the Kansas State volleyball team has taken the court for a match, and maybe that's a good thing.

This team needs a break.

Coming on the heels of their first win in over a month, the Wildcats had a bye this past weekend, giving them an entire week to regroup.

But on Wednesday, the break ends and the Wildcats return to action in Lincoln with a match against No. 5 Nebraska — first serve set for 7 p.m.

"We probably could have used (the break) a little earlier," KSU coach Suzie Fritz said. "But it comes at a good time. I thought it was extremely beneficial for us. Just the wear and tear of the season — we try to minimize that — and emotionally it's good to just get a little bit of a break."

K-State enters Wednesday's match after snapping an eight-match losing streak with a 3-1 victory over Texas Tech in Ahearn Field House on last week.

The win was a clear defining moment in a month that saw the team enter a free-fall during Big 12 play.

"I think there was a sense of relief that we finally got one," Fritz said. "I just see a change in their demeanor, from not being beat down, and actually having a greater sense of optimism."

That change of demeanor could be clearly seen in the play of libero Lauren Mathewson. The senior has had a string of breakout performances lately, recording five 20-dig matches, and most recently 27 digs in the win over Texas Tech last week.

Mathewson enters the match with the Huskers averaging 6.3 digs per set in her last three matches.

"I struggled at the beginning of the season with my confidence," Mathewson said. "But after the first half of the season, I just decided to relax, have fun with my teammates and enjoy the experience while I could. I have just kind of taken that approach now."

The Wildcats will look to rebound from a 3-0 sweep at the hands of the Huskers on Nov. 16 — one of the losses during the eight-match skid. During that match, the Huskers held the Wildcats offense to just a .128 hitting percentage in a straight sweep in Manhattan.

Fritz, however, described her team as rejuvenated after the week-long break and after what she called one of their best practices of the year on Monday.

"I think they are the same team, only better," Fritz said of her squad. "They're more seasoned, they're sharper, but outside of that they are the same. They are doing the same things only at a higher level."

The Huskers are led by one of the conference's best outside hitters in Lindsey Licht. The senior from Aurora, Colo., has recorded a team-high 243 kills on the season, averaging 3.04 per set with a hitting percentage of .302.

Nebraska has hit well as a team all season, and enters the match ranked second in the Big 12 in hitting percentage at .280 — the Wildcats check in at 10th at .158.

With the extra time to regroup and rejuvenate, the Wildcats feel they can make a run during the final stretch of the season, beginning with Nebraska.

"We want to steal a few," Mathewson said. "We want to get some from those good teams, and I think that we can.

"We just want to end the season on a good note, knowing that whatever we went through from the beginning of the season, it doesn't take away from the fact that we can still be that great team."