By Chris Kutz, K-State Athletics Communications
Kansas State Volleyball has welcomed two of its newest signees for the Class of 2016 in Rachel Stark and Elle Sandbothe during the Fall, 2015 Signing Period:
K-State volleyball head coach Suzie Fritz announced Rachel Stark (Minneapolis, Minnesota/Washburn) signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) on the second day of the Fall National Signing period on Thursday.
The 6-foot outside hitter lettered in volleyball for the last three years at Washburn, a stretch that ended this fall when she helped the Millers go 27-0 in the regular season, 6-0 in the Minneapolis City Conference, and reach the 6AAA Section Finals. Stark led the conference in kills and aces while finishing second in blocks and third in digs.
“Rachel is a springy, six-rotation player as well as a big jumper with a live arm and nice jump serve,” said Fritz. “She did not commit solely to volleyball until a little bit later than others, and did not play a high level of club volleyball until recently, so she’s a late bloomer. With that said, we think she can do a lot for us as she is just getting started. She’s in the early stages of what kind of player she can be at the collegiate level. She also attended a high-academic high school in Washburn, which showcases her ability to learn fast and her level of intelligence on and off the court.”
Stark led Washburn in kills in each of the last two campaigns, including a senior year in which she was top-20 in the state with 313 kills during the regular season. She hit .385 to post the career-high in kills while also adding 151 digs and 50 blocks. Her 84 aces were second-best at the 3A level.
As a junior, Stark had 250 kills on a .286 clip, averaging 3.9 kills per set. She registered a team-best 52 aces as well as 138 digs and 39 blocks.
Last year, Stark played club volleyball for the Northern Lights 17-1 team.
“She’s a pure athlete,” said her Northern Lights head coach David Manka. “Easy off the ground, fast arm, can play six rotations. She always strives to make herself a better volleyball player, looking for an edge. Most importantly, she’s a great teammate. She makes the team better whether she’s on the court or not. K-State is a better team with her in the program.”
She will become the third Minnesota native on the K-State roster, joining sophomore Kylee Zumach (Buffalo) and redshirt freshman Sami Flattum (Lakeville). Zumach and Flattum also played club volleyball for the Northern Lights program.
K-State volleyball head coach Suzie Fritz announced the newest member of the three-person 2016 signing class on Friday as Elle Sandbothe (Lee’s Summit, Missouri/Lee’s Summit West) signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) during the Fall National Signing Period.
A 5-foot-11 middle blocker, Sandbothe totaled more than 500 kills and 300 blocks in three years as a letterwinner at Lee’s Summit West while also garnering all-conference and all-state honors. She had a career-high 212 kills along with 105 blocks in her senior year.
“Elle is all about speed: arm speed, foot speed. She gets from side to side in a hurry,” said Fritz. “She is incredibly versatile as an attacker, hitting in a number of different gaps along the net. She has some special athletic gifts as she is a big jumper who gets off the ground fast. As a person, she has a special charisma about her; it draws people in. People love to play with her. She will bring a good energy to our program.”
Sandbothe earned Class 4A All-State honorable mention honors from the Missouri High School Volleyball Coaches Association (MHSVCA) as a junior after averaging 2.9 kills per set and adding a career-high 113 blocks, 58 digs and 18 aces.
As a sophomore for the Titans, she had 158 kills on a .328 clip while also registering 103 blocks to help her be named all-conference second team. She lettered in basketball that same year, earning all-conference honorable mention honors.
In addition to playing high school volleyball at Lee’s Summit West, Sandbothe played club volleyball for Invasion VBC based out of the Kansas City metro area.
“Elle is super-athletic with a lighting fast arm swing,” said her club coach Mark Ethridge. “She is competitive, highly energetic and brings out the best in her teammates. Perhaps best of all, she plays her best in big matches.”
Sandbothe will join current redshirt freshman Devan Fairfield (Grain Valley) as the two Missouri natives on the Wildcats.
Sandbothe comes from an athletically-accomplished family as her mother, Teri, is a member of the University of Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame, being inducted in 1996. Teri competed in a variety of events for the Tigers, primarily as a heptathlete, from 1986-89 and was a four-time All-American and seven-time Big Eight champion. Her father, Mike, is a former captain for the Missouri basketball team (1986-89), where he still ranks among the school’s top-10 in career assists, steals, and games played. Elle’s sister, Taylor, is in her third year as a middle blocker at Ohio State and brother, Garrett, is a senior basketball student-athlete at Central Missouri.
Sandbothe, Rachel Stark (Minneapolis, Minnesota/Washburn) and Peyton Williams (Topeka, Kansas/Cair Paravel Latin School) make up the 2016 signing class.
“All three [Sandbothe, Stark and Williams] are very good students as well as kind, hard-working, and humble people,” added Fritz about the class. “We are excited for their potential and growth as student-athletes within our K-State volleyball family.”
