Q&A with Kayla Banwarth

by Bonnie Ryan
Kayla Banwarth (pronounced BAN-worth) is one of several Husker freshmen looking to make an impact for the nation’s top-ranked club. Banwarth, who is the first Iowa native to take the court for the Huskers since U.S. Olympian Nancy Metcalf, guided Wahlert Catholic to three consecutive state titles. She was the Gatorade Iowa Player of the Year as a senior, averaging 4.00 kills, 3.70 digs and 1.43 aces per game last fall. 

How was it playing your first match at Qwest Center Omaha last weekend?
It was nerve wracking. It was a new environment for me ? obviously a lot bigger environment than in high school. It was a very different experience. It took a different mentality for me to play in front of that many people. I was only used to playing in front of 200 at the most.

Did it live up to your expectations?
It did. It was surreal. It really occurred to me that I was playing for Nebraska. It’s always been a dream of mine to play big Division I volleyball, and now it’s actually come true.

What effect did the AVCA Showcase crowd have on you and the team?
For me, the crowd made me even more nervous because I wasn’t used to it. For the team, it helps so much because even if we lose a point, they’re cheering that much harder to fight it out.

Who were your volleyball idols growing up?
I was a huge fan of Wisconsin when I was little, and Lizzy (Stemke) was one of my favorite players. When I started following Nebraska, it was Sarah Pavan, Melissa Elmer and Jennifer Saleaumua. Now it’s really cool that I can play alongside Sarah.

Who influenced your volleyball career most before you came to Nebraska?
I think my parents did because they started me out at a really young age. I was on a team when I was seven years old. My family is a huge volleyball family. My mom played at the University of Northern Iowa, and my dad also played, but not collegiately. Once I got to high school (at Wahlert Catholic), my first coach, Tom Keating, was just the best coach I’ve had. He made a huge impact on my volleyball career and on my life.

What are you most excited for in your first year, both on and off the court?
I’m looking forward to new experiences and being able to get to know people on the team. I know them now, but I don’t have that connection that the upperclassmen have with each other quite yet. I’m looking forward to building that throughout the year.

Has anyone on the team given you a nickname yet?
No, not yet. I had the nickname KGB in high school, but it hasn’t really stuck in college yet.

What are you planning on studying at Nebraska?
I’m undeclared as of now. I want to do something with music and theatre, but I don’t know if it’s going to work out with my schedule. I’ll have to see if I can do that. In high school, I was big into choir and theatre.

Take fans through a typical Nebraska volleyball practice.
Basically, we start off with a dynamic warm-out or setter weaves or something like that. Then we stretch and do conditioning stations, and then partner stuff. It’s a lot of coupled-up stuff at the beginning of practice, and toward the end of practice, we do more team drills.

What else should Husker fans know about you?
I’m glad to be here at Nebraska. It’s been a great experience so far.