Former Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year has High Hopes for Strong Senior Season

Southlake's own Kersten Kober, who was once named the 2015 Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, is aiming for a third consecutive NCAA women's volleyball tournament appearance for Kansas State.

In 2015-16, Kober had a personal-best 500 digs and 12 aces. According to The Mercury of Manhattan, Kansas, she finished the season third in digs per set with 5.16 in Big 12-only matches and fourth in overall contests. She is the Big 12’s active leader in career digs.

"I’m just so thankful to have the opportunity to be here, to be around such great people and to get the opportunity to play with such great volleyball people," she said. "[I have] great teammates and coaches. None of that stuff would’vebrbeen possible without the support of my team and the support of the university."

Starting off the season with a 4-2 record, the Wildcats have a tough schedule ahead of them; however, with Kober, three additional powerhouse seniors and a promising supporting cast, the team looks to capitalize on what has already accomplished. Two of the team's biggest victories came over Hawaii and Arizona.

"There’s a lot of really good things happening with this team," Kober said. "I think it’s a reallybrgood start for us. We talk about gaining momentum as we go. Starting off wellbrand keep making progress and getting better."

The 5-foot-7 libero has registered a team-high 89 digs this year, as well as 25 assists and 2 aces. 

Kober said she expects her Wildcats to do a lot of good things in 2016, including another tournament appearance.

"Of all my years, this team has such greatbrpotential," she said. "I have so much confidence in this team. I have a very positivebroutlook on what’s ahead for us."

Q&A

Southlake Style: It's your senior year and you are preparing for bigger and better things. Reflect on these past three-plus years at Kansas State. 

Kersten Kober: It’s an experience that’s flown by so fast. It’s given me sobrmany opportunities. I tell people all the time, coming to K-State was the best decisionbrof my life. I've made friends I’ll have forever. I've been impacted by my coaches and thebrstaff here … It’s certainly an experience I’ll never forget. There's just something sobrvaluable, I can’t really even explain it, but it’s been the best time of my life,brfor sure.

SS: What are your aspirations for afterbrcollege?

Kober: I am planning on going to law school. I want to be a sportsbrand entertainment attorney. My dad’s an attorney. Ever since I was little, Ibralways dreamed of following in the same footsteps. Athletics have had such anbrimpact on my life. It’s not something I’m ready to give up yet. I want tobrsurround myself with athletics for as long as I can.

SS: What are you trying tobrinstill in the young kids on the team? 

Kober: Just good values overall is something. Good leadership. I’vebrhad the opportunity to grow in my leadership. I really try to tell the freshmen thatbrthey can have an impact early on the team. It’s important to be who you are.brThe sooner you show who you are, the sooner everyone will know what to expectbrfrom you. You can have an impact earlier. We talk a lot at K-State that we havebrto work hard. We’re not the biggest or the strongest, so the work we have isbrproductive. We take it very seriously and that’s something I try to instill inbrthe freshmen when they get here.

SS: You had a long career atbrCarroll. You were the first freshman in team history to participate in a varsity playoffbrmatch. How did all of that experience help you in the long term?

Kober: At Carroll, there’s a lot of competition. The biggest thing I took away from my high school experience is how tobrcompete and how to work the way that prepares you to compete with others. At Southlake,brthe biggest thing everyone talks about is competition. Going through that experience prepared me well for the future, in volleyball and as a person. I knowbrwhat to expect and how to best prepare myself for whatever situations arise. I definitely,brthroughout that, have very high standards. I’m very competitive and am willing tobrwork hard enough to get what I want for the most part.

SS: What led to yourbrdecision to go to K-State?

Kober: I knew I wanted to play college volleyball. My dad graduatedbrfrom K-State. I have a lot of family here in Kansas. I knew I wanted to get awaybrform home and knew I wanted to be in the Midwest. When I came on my visit here,brI fell in love with this athletics department and this university. The first time I stepped foot on campus, it felt like home. A lot of people at K-State talk about the people andbrhow great the people are, and that’s a major part of the reason I came here. 

SS: Is being far from home anbrinconvenience? What do you miss most about home?

Kober: I miss the good Mexican food from back home. Not going tobrlie. I think getting away from home made me grow up a lot. It’s a different part ofbrthe world. It’s not an inconvenience to me. It’s not too far form home. I canbrfly or drive home if I need to. I love it here in Kansas. I don’t find it to bebran inconvenience.

SS: You've got a little brother who is pretty talented at his chosen sport. Talk about your relationship with him and how you two play off of each other when it comes to sports. 

Kober: I think we both grew up in a family that was very sportsbrrelated. My brother and I have been playing sports together since we were verybryoung. We were both competitive people so we would compete with each other. We bothbrlearned how to work hard together and work in productive ways. He’s verybrmindful. He works extremely hard. He values every rep in everything he’s doing.brThat’s something I’ve learned from him. 

Previously, I’d been someone who goesbrwith the flow, but I learned from him to be more mindful. It’s been fun tobrrelate our careers in the same way. We go through the ups and downs togetherbrand can discuss what it means to be an athlete. We’re there to support eachbrother. We both know we’re each other’s biggest fans.

SS: It seems as though keeping in touch withbracademics is very important to you. Talk about the balance between school and sports. 

Kober: It’s hard to balance wanting to be a premiere athlete andbrwanting to do well at school. The biggest thing for me is time management –brknowing what my priorities are, sitting down and scheduling out when I need tobrbe doing certain things. Those are two things that I put high on my prioritybrlist. 

SS: Name one or two of the biggest influencers inbryour life.

Kober: I would say both of my parents for sure. They have been mybrsupport system since day one. They raised me and they pretty much taught me everythingbrI know. My brother as well. Even though he’s my little brother, I look up tobrhim a lot. He works so hard and has got his head on straight. He’s a goodbrperson to have in my back pocket.

SS: A word to the folksbrback home. 

Kober: I love them and appreciate all of the support they’ve givenbrme throughout the years.

Accomplishments

Courtesy of K-State Athletics:

• Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 5, 2015)
• Saluki Invitational Best Libero (2014)
• Saluki Invitational All-Tournament Team (2014)
• UNLV Invitational All-Tournament Team (2013)
• Big 12 Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2015)
• Academic All-District 7 First Team (2015)
• Two-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team (2014-15)
• Big 12 Academic All-Rookie Team (2013-14)
• Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll (Fall 2015)
• Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll (Spring 2015)
• Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll (Fall 2014)
• Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll (Spring 2014)
• Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll (Fall 2013)
• Enters 2016 second among active Big 12 players in career digs
• Eighth in K-State history with 1,126 career digs

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