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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."