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| Kansas State junior outside hitter Julianne Chisholm kills a shot against Missouri on Oct. 15 at Ahearn Field House. Staff photo by Michael Schweitzer. |
Chisholm excelled as a three-sport star in volleyball, basketball and track while attending Hillsboro, just east of McPherson.
"JuliAnne is probably one of the hardest working athletes I have ever coached," Hillsboro volleyball coach Sandy Arnold said.
But it was not simply the fact that she was able to play each sport while excelling in the classroom that caught the eye of K-State coach Suzie Fritz. It was her work ethic and athleticism that intrigued Fritz as she watched her perform at her two volleyball camps.
Fritz knew she was a multiple-sport athlete, and that volleyball may not have been Chisholm's main focus at the time.
Yet she couldn't ignore her pure athleticism.
"I absolutely remember noticing her," Fritz said. "Her athleticism certainly stood out to me."
But there was a catch. Chisholm wasn't ready to give up her dreams of playing basketball, and with good reason. During her career on the basketball court, she earned two MCAA first-team selections in 2004 and 2005 as well as a first-team All-State selection from the KBCA in 2006.
"She was such a hard worker for us at this school," Arnold said. "I've never seen a kid with that much self motivation."
During her junior season of athletics at Hillsboro however, her volleyball talents were getting her recognized throughout the state. And with that, Fritz extended an offer to play at K-State.
The offer came just prior to the beginning of her junior basketball season.
"I begged for more time," Chisholm said. "I asked her if I could make a decision after basketball season."
But eventually, her volleyball skills landed her at K-State as she accepted Fritz's offer and began her career in Manhattan during the fall of 2007.
Chisholm said that it was the recruiting style of Fritz that helped her in her decision to come to K-State for volleyball.
"She is the reason I am here," she said. "During the whole process she was just so honest and she is such a great coach."
But Fritz did have concerns after signing her prized athlete from Hillsboro. She knew she had just signed a prospect with an immense amount of potential, but there was one element that was missing.
"I don't think it was a matter of sticking with her," Fritz said. "She was kind of a no-brainer (recruit option) but the only missing piece was that she hadn't played enough volleyball."
With the vast amount of activities and athletics that Chisholm had immersed herself with in high school, she didn't play on a volleyball team outside of her school team until her junior year.
It was then that she joined a club team and shifted a greater amount of focus towards volleyball before beginning her career at K-State in the fall of 2007.
"I came in feeling pretty confident, but I got my feet knocked out from under me for sure after I was here for a month," Chisholm said. "It was a huge transition."
Two years and some growing pains later, she has emerged as a leader of a young but growing Wildcat team.
Chisholm is currently a cornerstone of the K-State offensive attack, leading the team with 3.14 kills per set. She is coming off of a record performance at Oklahoma on Saturday where she recorded a career-high 22 kills, eight of which came in the first set while she hit .500 from the outside position.
"It takes a little while to learn everything you have to know to play her position," Fritz said of Chisholm's growth in the program. "I think now two years later she understands the demands, and she understands the patience."
That offensive presence at her position has led her to fill a leadership role that is pivotal for the young team that has faced several adversities this season. Those challenges included a five-game losing streak to open conference play and a rollercoaster ride in conference ever since.
"I think her progress has been steady in both as a volleyball player and as a leadership role," Fritz said prior to the OU match.
Chisholm and the rest of the K-State team will look to improve on an impressive offensive showing at Oklahoma, despite the 3-1 loss, against Texas A&M Wednesday in Ahearn — serve is set for 7 p.m.
