[00:00:15] Speaker A: Hello.
[00:00:15] Speaker B: Welcome to the Roundhouse Podcast with Paul Sullentrop of Wichita State University Strategic Communications. Thanks for listening. We always appreciate your time. Our guest today is Morgan Stout. Morgan is a senior middle blocker. She's from Fowler, Kansas and and Nickerson High School. She earned second team all AAC honors last season while helping the Shockers to the NIVC title. She's been a regular on the AD honor roll at WSU and the American Athletic Conference all academic team this season. She is one of the nation's most productive middles, certainly on her way to first team all conference honors for the Shockers. Morgan leads WSU in points. She has 357 kills, 3.10 kills, a set, 27 service aces and 115 blocks. So well rounded. According to Denning Gehrig's research and we always trust Denning Gehrig's research. She leads the nation's middles in kills per set and is second in points per set. The Shockers, they are the fourth seed in the AAC championship and they play fifth seed at Tulsa 7:30pm on Friday at Koch Arena. So the Morgan Stout journey is one of the favorites around the university. Small town, small high school. Morgan missed almost three years of competition and practice between high school and her first year at WSU due to injuries. She played in 2021, 2022, really started to blossom and then last year was a great one. So Morgan, I think you, I think other people, your teammates described your volleyball talents as raw when you walked in the door at WSU in part because of those injuries. How do you describe how far you've come?
[00:01:47] Speaker A: Yeah, like you said, the injury part. I really didn't think that I would be completing all of these acknowledgements because of how my body was feeling like my health and stuff like holding me back. So really seeing like in, in front of me, like seeing the stats is like eye opening because I, when I was a freshman, I didn't think I'd ever get to this point. So really believing in myself whenever I look at this kind of stuff as like, yeah, like I'm a human being but I'm capable of doing anything my mind puts me to.
[00:02:25] Speaker B: So yeah, I believe there's a story when Chris offered you a scholarship, you weren't totally sure that you were ready for this level. Am I remembering that correctly?
[00:02:36] Speaker A: He told me and I remember his exact words. He said, morgan Stout, if I offer you a full ride scholarship and I put it on the table right here in front of you, what would you have to say? About that. And I was like, I wouldn't think I'm good enough for it.
He was like, well, I'm gonna tell you right now that you are definitely good for that. Good enough for that. And we want you here and we want you here on a full ride, so. And then I remember Sean Carter that day also told me, the very first day of practice, he said, we're gonna make you an All American.
So, like, hearing that from, like, the coach's standpoint, the very first interactions that I had with them, it's like, they really believe in me, and they really think I'm capable of achieving really high accomplishments, and I'm doing that right now, so.
[00:03:24] Speaker B: So they would have been familiar with you from club volleyball, so they would have known about the athletic ability. What else do you think they saw in you that they would say those kind of things?
[00:03:34] Speaker A: I think they saw how, like, intense I was when I played, too. Like, how, like, fiery I am, how competitive I am.
Like, we could be down however many points, and I would not care. Like. Cause it's. You know, volleyball, it works in different mysterious ways, and the ball can change directions, trajectories, and pretty much, you never know when you could really catch up. I remember when we were playing at ECU, we. I think we were down, like, at least 10 points, and the score was, like, 24 to something. And we came back and we won it, and I was like, ever since that day, I never forget we could really come back and beat teams. We beat Omaha, too, in the fifth set. So I think they saw my competitive nature, and I think that's where a lot of people call me raw, because I just really just go all out, and I lay it all out there on the floor, and I don't really care if we're losing. I want to win.
[00:04:32] Speaker B: So as a freshman, you described yourself, you said, mentally, it's tough sometimes to get frustrated. There's times in practice when I get very frustrated with myself because I know I can do better.
When did that start to improve? When did those feelings of frustration begin to leave you?
[00:04:51] Speaker A: I think whenever we. Lambo talked about, like, spring and, like, how he would, you know, dedicate springtime to, like, helping me evolve and, like, adapt and tone me up a little bit. And them, like, really talking about tuning me up in the springtime really helped me with, like, channeling my routes that I approach with or, like, looking at, like, where, you know, the ball is en route to the setter. Like, really paying attention to the real critique things of volleyball. Instead of just, like, going up and, like, trying to just mash the ball on the floor. Like, really paying attention to, like, where the block is and where the diggers are behind the block, you know, what's open on the other side has really, like, just really opening up. My vision on the court has helped me tremendously when it comes to, you know, getting better. And that sounds kind of, like, stereotypical for me to say, but my vision definitely did get a lot better and, like, getting frustrated, I still struggle with that every single day. And it definitely does get the best of me every day because I do expect more out of myself because I want to be that person that my team can depend on. And it is almost like, not an option to play, like, down to a certain level, you know, Like, I have to. I have the mindset of, like, I'm going to go in and I'm going to crush teams. Like, it is not an option. I have to do that and I have to help my team out, you know, like, that's just kind of, like, the role that I've taken on. And at first it was, like, hard for me to, like. It was hard for me to, like, approach it, if that makes sense, because it was a lot of pressure.
But now I'm like, I like this pressure. I like being that person that my team can depend on. But, you know, I am human. I'm going to have emotions and I'm going to. You know, sometimes my emotions do get the best of me, but my end goal for everything is just winning. Like, I honestly don't care about how well my performance was. Like, I just want to win with my team. Because that winning perspective with your team is something I cherish. And I will never forget the winning feeling that it is whenever, you know, we're like, we won a match and then we all run around the roundhouse and like, that right there, that's what I love. You know, it's like, it's my job to, like, do this at the third, but, like, winning after is amazing.
[00:07:22] Speaker B: You know, Chris Lamb will talk a lot about what you just talked about. Routes, vision. And sometimes I think it can be difficult for fans to see that's kind of going on away from the volleyball at some points. Describe how you got better at that. Was that just experience? Were there drills? How do you. How do you get better at taking routes?
[00:07:39] Speaker A: Yeah, he. Lambo told me that I kind of pay attention to the block a little bit before. I actually paid pay attention to, like, where the ball is with the setter and I think that is 100% correct, because, like, there's times where I'd run a route and I would get stuff blocked and I'd be like, oh, crap, like, why'd that happen? You know? And he's like, well, you just ran into four hands. You know, you ran into the middle of the court with a double block. What did you think was going to happen? I was like, oh, okay. You know, that's. You know, that's probably right. So seeing, like, where. What defense they have, like, I know I'm going to get four hands in front of me all the time, but attack selection, like, my coaches talk about, like, different attack selection, if that makes sense. Dave Rubio actually came to, like, one of our practices with, like, John Price and all them, and he was talking about how I was just, like, getting reps in, you know, Izzy was setting me the ball. We were running three gaps, two gaps. I went and hit a fly. And he was like, dave Rabio, he brought me to the side and he's like, you know, watching you do this right now, you could do that in your sleep. And I was like, well, don't hide me up. But, yeah, I mean, he's like, you're hitting the ball down the line and you're just mashing it. You're hitting the ball cross court in the seam and you're mashing it. Everyone knows you can do that in your sleep. Sometimes teams are gonna acknowledge that, and sometimes they will give you that in a game, but they will have a really good libero playing left back, waiting for you to, like, mash their forearms and get a really good dig out of it, you know? And he's like, why don't you try doing things that, like, you don't normally do often that you can get better at, like, tooling the block or, like, tipping in the donut or, you know, swiping it off their hands or hitting a deep, deep corner shot or, like, throwing under the block sometimes. And I was like, you know, that's a really good point. He's like, there's really good athletes out there that could do a lot of things in their sleep. But what separates, like, the good athletes from the great is they're willing to suck at things that they're really not that good at first and get better at it later, you know? And then Scott Larkin also said the same thing. He. I think he was an Olympian. He was my coach at club. He was like. When we were doing. I was like, age 14, 15 in club, and he was like, seeing how, like, frustrated I was getting. And he was like, you're gonna suck before you get better at this. You're gonna suck at things that you are brand new to before you get better. Like, yeah, there's some things that people are just naturally good at, but sometimes in sports it's a different story. So really, like, having that mindset of, like, okay, I can really work on, like, different things that I don't normally do. And, you know, the coach is dedicating practice times towards, like, spinning the ball whenever you're off the net or like, off balance and stuff like that really helps with, like, just fine motor skills, if that makes sense. So.
[00:10:37] Speaker B: So, Dave Rubio, just to remind fans, he was a former coach at the University of Arizona and was one of Chris Lamb's mentors. Good friends. They were all in town for the 25 years of Lambeau celebration earlier this season. Okay, I've got a quote from Scott Larkin, who you accurately described. Great volleyball player, big figure in club volleyball around Wichita. And he said, skill wise, she was terrible at age 14 or 15, but she's an athlete at heart. She's going to want to be the best. That was her blessing. Do you feel that describes you?
[00:11:08] Speaker A: Yeah, I take everything super personal whenever I play too. Like, whenever we play other teams, I look at like their middle stats, their middle's routes, the way that their middles hit the ball, the way their center connection is with the middle. And I'm like, that is my priority to make this 100% better than them. And that's something that Lambo actually talked about in the locker room. He was like, people need to take things personally. Like, why would you let the, you know, other side perform better than you when it comes to position wise? You know, like, let's say my hitting percentage isn't as good as other middles. Doesn't that like fire you up a little bit or like, you know. So, yeah, skill wise definitely was not good. I remember wailing a ball to the opposite end and hitting the back wall on like a up. And I was like, wow, that was super embarrassing. But then I had other people who were like, holy cow, like, you just jumped out of the gym and the ball was really low or something like that. And that's why you hit it out. But you just didn't snap your wrist. And I'm like, oh, I could snap my wrist, you know, so it's like different, like skill work that was like super, like small. Minimal is something I had to develop going in from age 14 to now going into college and still going into pro, like, sometimes I still struggle with that kind of stuff. So I definitely haven't been playing volleyball as long as, like, other people have. And I embrace that because it's like, if I can do that, then anyone could really, you know, do anything because I was so bad at what I did. So.
[00:12:40] Speaker B: Yeah. When did you start seriously playing volleyball?
[00:12:43] Speaker A: I think I started in sixth grade, but I mean, it wasn't really much. And then it really started to get competitive when I was a freshman in high school. Then that's when I was like, oh, okay. Like, I actually like volleyball. I think I'm gonna. My. In sixth grade, I was like, I don't really like volleyball. Like, it's not really my thing. Played it in seventh grade, eighth grade. But then my freshman year, I'm a basketball oriented family. Like, I'm with a basketball oriented family. So basketball is, like, really big in my family. And I was like, I don't think I'm gonna play volleyball. I think I'm just gonna focus on basketball. And then my classmates and like, other people above me, like, senior class, they were like, no, you should really go out for volleyball. At least just try it. So I was like, okay, like, I'll go ahead and do it. And then I just fell in love with it. So.
[00:13:32] Speaker B: Yeah. What flipped the switch to volleyball?
[00:13:35] Speaker A: I honestly loved Mackenzie Duel, Mallory Burkamp, Madison Hayes, Paige Harris, Leah Granados.
All those girls that I went that were my classmates. And it was also a very tight knit community too, because it was a very small town. So, like, everyone knew one another and like, everyone just understood one another, you know, because it's. It's a small town. It's a village.
[00:14:03] Speaker B: You're talking about Fowler now.
[00:14:04] Speaker A: Yeah. So having, like, their support, like family.
They are my family. Like, they're like my distant family. They, like, I grew up with them. I had like five people in my class. I spent every single day with them. Like, those people are my. My family. So I call them like my Fowler family because I still. Those people still reach out to me almost every day. It's a different person, though. But they still have my support and they support me. And having those people around you that just understand you as a person and an individual makes your performance so much better when you see that people really support you. So it had a lot to do with skill. Yeah, my skill was not the greatest, but I'm also a freak athlete. And whenever I have other people, they're like, dude, just go up and match the ball. I'm like, okay. Because, you know, they have my back. So playing with people like that was just so much fun. I'll never forget that.
[00:15:05] Speaker B: Why was this the right coaching staff to help you get all this out of your talents?
[00:15:11] Speaker A: I remember getting here on my very first visit, and I was like, wow. I have Austin, Sean, Chelsea, BMag was there, Lambo. I had a whole table of coaches that were like, we want you here. And I'm like, I love this already, like, off rip. I walked in there and I was like, I'm going to commit here. Because it's no question, like, these people want me here. So having their full support was like, wow. Like, okay, I'm going to play for this coaching staff, and I'm going to be loyal to them to the end, and I'm going to trust them that they're going to tune me up, turn me into this amazing player. And they did. And I still have much more improvement to do. But, yeah, just staying loyal to my coaches because they stayed loyal to me. I also. I got offered my sophomore year of high school, and then my junior year. I had torn my acl. And I was verbally committed at the time.
But I remember Lambeau calling me, you know, after my surgery, and he's like, you know, we don't even care. Like, you have this much recovery time, we can still tune you up. You're still a freak of an athlete. Like, you're gonna come here and we are going to support you and you're gonna get strong and all that stuff. And I remember that phone call. I was sitting in the weight room of Nickerson High School, and I, like, started crying. Cause I was like, wow. Like, these coaches really believe in me, and they are so supportive, and that is who I wanna play for. You know, like, sometimes, like, I went on visits before wsu, too, and they were just like, meh. You know, just treated me like another athlete. But here wasn't like that at all. And plus, it was close to home. So I was like, yeah, let me just bring all my Fowler family, my family from Nickerson, like, everyone, so. And it's been great the whole ride.
[00:17:10] Speaker B: What a nice phone call. Yeah, that would make a good impression on a. On an athlete at that. Especially at that point, you're a little vulnerable. The injury, all of that. So, Chris, Talk points to spring two years ago as a turning point for Morgan Stout leading into your junior season. And you talked about that spring about gaining confidence and finding your inner dog. Entering 2023, you got off to a good start. You had good matches against Texas Tech and Illinois and Illinois State. What do you remember about what clicked? What really propelled you in the right direction?
[00:17:42] Speaker A: I would say my connection with Izzy really started that first game against Texas Tech. And yeah, like, Izzy and I have always had this, like, connection. But during the spring before, we played them in the fall, like, these teams in the fall, I just remember when I was going to hit flies and we were playing like, Mizzou, we played. I don't remember who else we played, but maybe it was like, Arkansas, Mizzou, whatever. And I was going up and I was like, mashing the flies behind the setter, and I was like, izzy is a damn good setter. Like, I love this because she's so competitive. She's so driven to wanting the best for her hitters and always looks for feedback, is always, like, also giving feedback, too, and just really having that connection with Izzy has always been a confidence booster for me because if her and I are not connecting, she's just like, just keep going, like, we're gonna figure it out. And I'm like, yeah, we're gonna figure it out, you know, so she really helped me, like, stay out of my head when it comes to, like, hitting the ball, you know, and it's great. I remember that spring. I finally got my confidence back because the season before that, I think in like, 2022, I really, really struggled that year with, like, my confidence. And, you know, Izzy came in and I was like, this is great. Like, let's just keep doing this. And her and I's connection has always been really good. So.
[00:19:11] Speaker B: So you're talking about Izzy Strand, etc. So she would have joined the team for spring practices in 2023 and has had a really nice two season, two season career here at Wichita State. So you've described your enthusiasm, and anybody who's been to a shocker volleyball game has some, you know, knows what you're talking about as far as your. Your celebrations, your competitive edge. You've described that as your gift, knowing that you can really lift the team emotionally. Do you remember the first time in a game or a match where you pumped your fist or you celebrated with a teammate and thought, all right, this works, this is really good.
[00:19:44] Speaker A: Yeah, I love being that person that is an emotional leader, but it kind of backfires a little bit because if I'm in my head or if I'm upset, my team kind of freaks out a little bit. So I've been trying, really, my best ability. I've been Trying to be level headed but also be very enthusiastic on like the good plays.
Yeah, I love being that person for my team. I love like, I love getting kills or step blocks and looking at the bench. I think like the bench is so important when it comes to momentum because there's so many people. It's like another team out there just rooting for you. People that have your back, that support you and they're like going into battle with you and they're like cheering for you whenever you do great things. And I also love like hyping up my teammates whenever they do amazing things too. So just, yeah, being that emotional leader, it has its downfalls a little bit, but it is so good when it is super high and you know, our team really feeds off of that. And it also kind of just like messes with the other team too because they're like, okay, now they're hot. And usually when we're hot, good luck, you know. So, yeah, I love being that person.
[00:21:03] Speaker B: So I want to go back, make sure I understood correctly. There are people who want more level headed. Morgan Stout. Yeah, I don't like that. I enjoy non level headed Morgan Stout. Okay. Yeah. The bench. There's a lot going on on the shocker volleyball bench. They're dancing, they are lifting people up. They've got all kinds of choreograph celebrations. What's your favorite? What do you enjoy most about?
[00:21:24] Speaker A: I love when we get step blocks and they all just like fall on the floor.
I think that is so funny.
Sometimes I wish like I was on the bench whenever my other teammates get a step block because I would just go all out if I was out there, you know. So sometimes they also do, I don't know, they do different cheers for step blocks, I think also. But I think just sometimes I'm just like not there at the right time. So. But yeah, I also just love being on the bench and like hyping up my teammates on the bench. Like there's times where we will like get on the floor and like pound the floor while they serve and they'll miss their serve and I go bench, point, bench. And it just gets everyone so hype and I love that. So I just, I just want to be that person for like my teammates and get them like super hype.
[00:22:11] Speaker B: So I guess it's a lot like the dugout in softball.
[00:22:14] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:22:15] Speaker B: Who's in charge? Who choreographs this kind of stuff? Who organizes it?
[00:22:18] Speaker A: I think Gabby some. Yeah, Gabby. Sometimes it's like a mixture. Like Allie does it Sometimes Haley, sometimes a random person on the bench will just start a cheer and then people just follow along. Or sometimes it's like two people at the same time doing different cheers and then we're a little confused, but it ends up working out. So it's not a big deal. But at least you know, you have teammates that are, you know, they're cheering for you.
[00:22:45] Speaker B: Quite entertaining. So you will run into coaches. And this is across all sports. And even years later, you know, their job is to get the absolute most out of. Out of athletes so they can, you know, express frustration with an athlete who didn't buy all the way in or maybe didn't get the absolute most out of his or her athletic ability. And they will not say that about you. They will not say that about Morgan Stout. When you leave Wichita State, was that always the goal?
[00:23:10] Speaker A: Yeah, Smash actually told me yesterday because I was struggling in practice a little bit, and Smash pulls me to the side and she's like, can you answer a question for me? I'm like, oh, great. Like, what's she about to ask? She goes, when have you never worked hard? And I was like, never. And she's like, great. When have you ever played perfect? And I was like, never. She's like, so you can never ever say, and no one else can ever say that you never put an effort and you never, ever didn't hustle, even when you were playing bad. And I was like, yeah, that's true.
She's like, would you rather play good in a match or play good in a practice? And I said, I would rather play good in both. And then she's like, okay, well, that's not really like, the answer I was looking for, but I can respect it because, you know, yeah, like, that is my mindset. I want to do good every single day in practice and get better. Like, I always, I see things on, like, social media and, like, leaders out there that say, just get 1% better every day. If you get 1% better every single day, focus on one thing that you can get better at every single day, you will become a better person and you will be better at, like, what you want to get better at. And the only thing stopping people from getting better is just their mind. That's it. And that's something that I've always thought about, like, being level headed. Okay. Like, how do I get 1% better every single day doing that? So, like, I'll take a breath, I'll walk away a little bit. But there's some people that, you know, want me to get crazy. And I'm just like, it's kind of conflicting, you know, so kind of trying to find like a balance with that. But yeah, no, I athletically, I want to be remembered as somebody that just always went out and balls the walls, you know, so.
[00:25:20] Speaker B: And Smash is assistant coach Ashley Holton. She has, she goes by Smashley. A lot of times nicknames are kind of, kind of cliche, but Smashley is one of the better nicknames out there around, around, around the department. So describe growing up in Fowler. You're not far about 20 miles from Dodge City. What was life like there?
[00:25:38] Speaker A: Wow. It was life. There was like sports and.
Sports and farming. I would say it's such a small, like tight knit community. I keep saying that. Like it really was. I had five people in my class total in grade school, I think like kindergarten, I had 12. I remember every single teacher that I had, which some people probably can't say, but I remember every single teacher. I remember like what they looked like. I remember what they wore on certain days.
I. Yeah, you know, like. And Scott Brown, I mentioned him a couple times, but he used to be the men's basketball coach at Fowler High School. And he led them to six straight years in a row going to state.
And two of those years or three, I can't remember, they were in the state championship.
And they got third one year. Second or not first? I think they didn't get first, but they definitely got second, third, fourth or whatever. And he is one of the most intense people I know. Like, he kind of reminds me of me except, you know, his temper. Kind of crazy. But yeah, my dad coached under him, so he was just such an amazing basketball coach. I remember they would do like infinite layup drills and they, their goal Yesterday was like 143. And then he's like, you guys have to beat that today. And every single day they'd have to beat their goal. And sometimes they beat it by like five or six points. And then they'd have to do the other way. So they'd have to do like right hand layups and then left hand layups for a certain amount of time. And if they didn't meet that goal that they just did, they'd have to run or they'd have to do, you know, whatever. Sort of like reinforcement, you know. But seeing that, that's just kind of how I was raised in a way. Like, I went to that. Those basketball practices every day and I was like, to me, I think that's a great example of like what competing Looks like because you're doing what you're supposed to do. And that's what I think about every single day. Like Scott Brown's also told me, next play, you know, you make an error next play. He's also told me what makes you better every single day. And it was kind of tying back to like that mindset thing.
And also like, what else, what else did he say? Discipline. He was like, he would bring the whole team in a circle after every single practice and he would ask them what is discipline? Every single day? And they all would have to answer it like in sync. And it was doing what you're supposed to do even when no one is watching.
And like in practice I try to do that. In games I try to do that. Like there's things that the crowd doesn't see that I do see, you know, that I'm trying to perfect and get better at. So. So, yeah, being raised on like that and then having such amazing parents by my side, supporting me through everything, making sacrifices to get me here, where I'm at today, and then also having that tight knit community back there that's backing me up, having my back and just being there and so supportive. And yeah, in sixth grade, I remember playing with like sixth grade boys and I was, I was probably in like third grade, second grade and we were playing flag football and I did not care. I was like, I am crushing you.
And it was just people that I knew, like, it was, I could remember them by name, like Blake Keith, he's one of them. But Tate Schumard, he's another one. But yeah, it was just, it was so much fun being at Fowler and I will always remember those people and I'll never forget them.
[00:29:32] Speaker B: You are name checking a lot of Fowler people. I think my listens in western Kansas are going to go through the roof. So I really appreciate that. Okay. Your time as a college athlete, we're wrapping it up here. Week two, maybe more.
How are you savoring these last few? You know, I'm almost to the end of my practices, I'm almost to the end of introductions in Coke arena, all those kind of things.
[00:29:59] Speaker A: I haven't really, it hasn't really hit me yet because we're still playing.
So I don't like to kind of have the mindset of like, okay, let me remember this moment because it's probably never going to come back again. But I'm like, no, it is coming back again because we are playing again here. So senior night. Yeah, it sucked losing, but it sucked losing because it was senior night, you know what I mean? And like, yeah, it just sucks to lose in general, but like it's not like we didn't try or like play well, you know, we did play well. And yeah, like losing in general sucks, but like losing on your home court and senior night does suck too. But then I like flipped it and I was like, you know what? We play again at home. Why am I crying? You know? So I'd say like quick emotional recovery for me on that. But yeah, definitely savoring like those moments with like my family remembering that part, remembering the video board whenever they had it up there for us, the flowers that we got, the fans that came in that texted me before, hey, we're gonna come to the game, like just really trying to say hi to them after because you know those moments you really don't get back those like interactions with people, that's what I care about the most. And sometimes like they can't make it to games. Like some, some of my, some of my family can't make it to games. So whenever they come to my games, I really cherish those moments.
[00:31:40] Speaker B: Hi, this is Rick Myuma, president of Wichita State University. Check out the latest episode of the Forward Together podcast. Each episode I sit down with different guests from Shocker Nation to celebrate the vision and mission of Wichita State University. Listen, wherever you get your podcasts.
Favorite memory is a shocker. What are the moments? What are the matches that are gonna stand out?
[00:32:15] Speaker A: My favorite memory was of Lambo. I think he. I remember we had open gym like this past summer, 6am and he had just looked like he rolled out of bed.
He walked into the gym and had a fanny pack on, had his shoes tied to his fanny pack. And everyone just thought it was like the funniest thing ever. Cause it was.
But yeah, what you see with him is what you get. He's so excited to watch his playing. He so loves volleyball. Like everything about volleyball he loves and it's so fun to play under him. My favorite match, I would honestly say was the NIVC championship game against utep. That was a sold out crowd. We had people screaming in our ears. Couldn't think. But we played tremendous. We played so good. That game. Everyone was just like in motion together and everyone just had each other's backs. So it just went. It was crazy. I loved it. I'll never forget that. The all tournament team. Never would have thought I would have gotten that. So that was, you know, that was amazing. And then playing with those, those seniors, the senior class that I Came in with, you know, that was fun, too, winning a championship with them. So always remembering that moment, too. But, yeah, I'd say that was like, my. Probably my favorite match ever here moments. I love going to Downtown Nutrition with Emerson, Katie Galligan, Brooklyn Abby, everyone else that you could really imagine. Our whole team goes on just about every day. So little moments like that really, really help my mental health, you know, because it's like, oh, we all enjoy doing this one thing, and it's not volleyball, you know, so just kind of like, bonding with them. And those, like, moments, too, those little things really matter. And I really do appreciate those memories that I have with them. I'll carry those for the rest of my life. So.
[00:34:23] Speaker B: So if the principal at Fowler High School or Nickerson High School calls Morgan Stout and says, we want you to come back and talk to some of our athletes and give them. Give them advice about, you know, playing sports in college, how do they navigate academics, how do they navigate athletics? What is your advice?
[00:34:40] Speaker A: I would honestly say your grades come first. I know that's, you know, stereotypical, but, like, your grades really do matter because, like, you could be super athletic, right? But, like, if you don't have good grades, that's the only thing holding you back from, like, being next level, you know, because there's certain requirements that Division 1 has, Division 2 other places, too. And if you're not good academically, that is one thing, because that's something I really struggled with, was my academics, you know, so getting the extra help. Asking for help when it comes to academics, like, being a student athlete is very hard when it comes to, like, keeping good grades and stuff. But asking for help is, like, the main thing, you know, that I would probably tell them. But also, like, if you have a dream, don't let people try to, like, take that away from you or, like, doubt you. Like, usually, you know, people say that stuff because they know they can't do it themselves. So they'll try to, like, be like, oh, are you sure you can do that? Or, like, you sure you want to do that? Like, why don't you just, like, go get a real job somewhere? And I've been told that so many times. Why don't you think about getting a real job somewhere? And, like, no, this is what I enjoy doing. And I'm sorry that you don't enjoy it, but. Sorry, I'm happy and you, you're not, you know, so not listening to, like, the doubts that people put in your brain or, like, any just, like, negative stuff because, like, Student athletes are student athletes for a reason. I think 99.9% of every single student athlete loves the sport that they play. And don't let ever. Don't ever let anyone try to, like, change your mind or, like, make you doubt yourself and your confidence. So don't let them try to take that dream away, because you've had it for a reason, and God gave it to you for a reason.
[00:36:30] Speaker B: So you've got a lot of time to have a real job. My advice would be put that off as long as you can.
[00:36:36] Speaker A: That's what Scott told me.
[00:36:38] Speaker B: Playing volleyball professionally is what you would like to do when you're done at Wichita State. The chakras of had a few in recent years. Elizabeth Field, Jody Larson is still playing overseas. Why do you want to continue in the sport?
[00:36:50] Speaker A: I love what I do. I truly do. I love volleyball. I love the environment I'm in. My coaches are amazing. My teammates are amazing. They're so supportive, they're so nice. And I just. I love being, you know, that person that's, like, leading in this at the third. But, like, I literally would not have what I have if my teammates didn't have my back and wanted the best for me. And, like, that goes for our littles. That goes for Annaleigh, Katie, Little Red, everyone that's on the court with me. Izzy, our setter. Like, I would not be where I'm at without who I play with. And, like, having that support system off the court too. Like, my coach is telling me, don't give up. Do not stop pushing. Like, you're doing amazing, you're helping us, blah, blah, blah. But it's like, my teammates are helping me help everyone, you know, So I just love, like, playing with my teammates. I love, like, the friendships I get from it. You never are alone with. Whenever you have a team with you. You know, like, it. Like, everyone has friends and stuff, but, like, you don't really hang out with your friends every single day for a couple hours, you know, and like, treat that as a job. Like this to me, is a job, and I get to do my job with people that I love and that really support me and I support them. So that's really why I want to continue because there's so much diversity when it comes to playing sports, especially overseas or, like in the US Somewhere. Like, you're constantly meeting new people and making connections, and I just love that.
[00:38:30] Speaker B: And Emily Stockman would be another one. I would be negligent not to. Not to mention her. She played Beats professionally for a Long time and did some stuff with Team usa. How does that process work? When does this start? How do you go about finding a team?
[00:38:43] Speaker A: To be honest, I don't really know how the whole process works because everything's kind of like brand new. I want to play in the US If I can, but that's kind of just like a different process that I'll have to ask my coaches about.
But for right now, what I'm really focused on is my performance and like just trying to ball out as much as I can.
That way, like whenever the time does come, I'll have like supportive evidence of showing why I deserve, you know, to play here in the US or deserve to play overseas, you know. So I'm kind of just like focusing on like one task at hand and that is just like trying to be my best every single game and winning, you know, with my team. So.
[00:39:31] Speaker B: Okay. I would assume the Shockers are in fresh start, clean slate territory. You mentioned last weekend, a rough weekend and the regular season. WSU 15 and 13. Entering Friday's match, what's been the discussion? How does this team regroup and get ready for what are hopefully three matches over the next three or four days?
[00:39:49] Speaker A: Yeah, I would say like quick emotional recovery because like, we're all super competitive and we all want to win and we all just like lay it out there on the court and it, it does get really tough sometimes.
So just having like the support of one another, reassuring one another that like, you got this giving one another confidence and also having that mindset of just like going out and crushing teams.
I would just say it's like a mindset thing, like a quick emotional recovery. Like, yeah, losing sucks, but like, this conference could go any which way, you know, Like, I'm pretty sure Rice just lost to UNT in five. So it's like anyone can beat anyone in this conference. So we're not really like looking at like, oh, we just lost and like, you know, but it's just like quick emotional recovery because it could go anyway, you know.
[00:40:41] Speaker B: The AAC championship starts Friday with four matches at Coca Arena. Second seeded rice, they're number 40 in the NCAA RPI. USF is the top seed. They're number 50. So you have at least two schools who could be thinking they're in the at large conversation for the NCAA Tournament. The Shockers. They play Tulsa at 7:30 at Cocharena. The winner moves to Saturday's 2pm semifinal against either USF or UAB. Sunday's championship match is at noon. Tickets are
[email protected] Morgan Stout thanks for your time.
[00:41:13] Speaker A: Thank.
[00:41:29] Speaker B: Great insight as always. Thanks for listening to the Roundhouse podcast courtesy of Wichita State University Strategic Communications. We encourage you to rate, review and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can always find more roundhouse
[email protected].
[00:41:45] Speaker A: Martin left wing to Mike Jones, eight seconds left. Smithson out to Mike Jones, 25 footer. Good. He got it with three seconds left. Mike Jones, from about 25ft out, hit another long jumper. Two seconds. Showing on the clock. That may not be official, but Wichita State leads 66, 65. Timeout Kansas 2 seconds to go Wichita State 66, Kansas 65.
