December 08, 2021

Q&Jay: What Four Final Four Stars Think of This Year’s Sweet 16-Bound KU Volleyball Squad

Kansas volleyball’s return to the NCAA Tournament has extended into a second week. By virtue of their 3-1 victory over No. 20 Creighton last Friday in Omaha, Nebraska, the Jayhawks have advanced to the Sweet 16 for the third time in program history and for the first time since the 2015 campaign.

If that particular postseason rings a bell, it should: That KU group made history by becoming the first in program history to earn a Final Four berth. Ahead of the noon Thursday matchup at No. 3 Pittsburgh that awaits this year’s team, Jayhawks Extra caught up with four stars from the ’15 squad — then-junior Tayler Soucie and then-sophomores Kelsie Payne, Ainise Havili and Madison Rigdon — to get their thoughts on that incredible run as well as the one unfolding right now.

Q: What are your thoughts on what you’ve seen from this year’s Jayhawk volleyball team?

Soucie: I’m a physician assistant at a family medicine clinic about 30 minutes outside of Omaha, so when I saw KU would open tournament play up here I was excited to get a chance to see them in person. They look like a team that plays together and plays for each other, and those are always great qualities to have. They fought hard and it sounds like they’re playing their best volleyball of the entire season.

Havili: They’re a pretty young team, but they’ve got a lot of fire, a lot of fight. I enjoy watching them. They’re fun, and they look like they’re having fun, so that’s always a plus. It seems like they’re always having a good time — especially when they’re winning.

Payne: I’m in my fourth season playing professionally and in my second season with a team here in South Korea, so the time difference has made it kind of hard to follow them as closely as I’d like. But I’ve been keeping up through stats and social media, and I think what they’re doing now is so awesome.

Q: Do you see any parallels between this group and your Final Four squad?

Rigdon: They have the same fight in them that we did in 2015, kind of a go-get-it attitude. They have nothing to lose. I know they’re at a different point than we were — we kind of knew we were going to make the tournament, and since we were the ninth overall seed, we were the favorites for the first couple of rounds — but the parallels are still there. We knew if we played our best we’d eventually be paired up with USC, and when that happened, we had a similar underdog mindset to what I’m seeing now: We weren’t scared, we were resilient and we were ready to fight for every point.

Soucie: I’d say the way they play for each other and cheer one another on. Those are the most important things. Seeing that they have fun on the bench, that’s really important too, getting that energy from every single player.

Havili: I know we were ranked ninth, but at the beginning of that season nobody expected us to really do anything. We were projected as a middle-of-the-pack Big 12 team that could maybe make the tournament and then get ousted early. When we kept winning and having a good time, it was a big surprise to a lot of people. It’s kind of the underdog approach I’m seeing now: Every game they win it’s like, “Oh wow, they’re here again. They’re still dancing.”

Soucie: And their dancing on the sidelines? Our team can definitely relate to them on that one.

Q: Take us back to 2015. Was there anything about the experience of making it out of the first week and preparing for the second that sticks with you?

Payne: We were so excited, so happy. Beating Mizzou in the second round in our home gym and in front of all of our friends and family, it was the best feeling. It’s still one of my favorite games that I’ve ever played. The energy was unmatched. I remember leading up, Coach Bechard was like, “Hey, I know you guys are from Texas, but this is a really big deal. It’s going to be loud and it’s going to be rowdy.” It was so, so fun.

Rigdon: The fans were incredible. I remember the feeling of beating Mizzou and realizing, oh my gosh, we’ve made it to the second week. Going into that Sweet 16 we had the mentality of, OK, everything after this is a bonus. We had some nerves, but really, there was no pressure on us whatsoever. That’s kind of what this team needs to feel too. Everything from here on out, you’ve got to just go out and have fun.

Havili: It was so much fun to play Mizzou at Horejsi. That’s probably my second-favorite game, next to the USC game. Going into that weekend with USC, we obviously knew our bracket. We knew we’d probably have to matchup up with them in the Elite Eight. That was daunting. When we did meet up with them, we knew everybody was beatable. It’s all about who plays well that day. Coach B used to always say that: Throw records out, because it’s all about who decides to come out that day and play.

Soucie: There’s always the anxiousness, the excitement. Everyone in the athletic department is cheering you on. You get people who don’t necessarily talk to you all the time congratulating you when you pass them in the hallways. It all just kind of gets you pumped for that next round.

Q: Outside of what happened in front of the cameras, what are your favorite memories from that postseason run to the Final Four?

Rigdon: That’s back when we still had that break between the second and third sets. We went up 2-0 on USC and when we went back into that locker room, we were just having so much fun. We were like, “Guys, we can actually go get this. We can do this.” That was a really good moment for us that not a lot of people know about. We were so scared, but also having so much fun.

Soucie: The USC game is one that gets talked about a lot, but people don’t know the huddles that we had, the way we looked each other in the eye and just said, “We can do this. We got it.” Those moments and that trust that you build as a team, I look back on it sometimes and think, “How the heck did we come back to win that fifth set?” We fought for each other. You see that from the stands, but you don’t get those same feelings and know just how much we had to trust each other in those different moments to really pull through.

Q: Outside of what happened in front of the cameras, what are your favorite memories from that postseason run to the Final Four?

Soucie: The USC game is one that gets talked about a lot, but people don’t know the huddles that we had, the way we looked each other in the eye and just said, “We can do this. We got it.” Those moments and that trust that you build as a team, I look back on it sometimes and think, “How the heck did we come back to win that fifth set?” We fought for each other. You see that from the stands, but you don’t get those same feelings and know just how much we had to trust each other in those different moments to really pull through.

Q: Describe what it’s like playing for head coach Ray Bechard.

Rigdon: Coach B is awesome. He truly cares for every single player. It’s so much like a family. You know what to expect. Every practice you’re going to go in there and grind, and he makes it fun and enjoyable. It’s such a good environment. Whether it’s Christmas or Thanksgiving or whenever, he always opens up his house to the players. It felt like a home away from home, and that was a huge reason why I went to KU. On my visit I felt that immediately: “This is the place I want to be. This is the person I want to play for.”

Havili: Coach B gives us a lot of leeway in terms of being our own leaders. He doesn’t micromanage. As a setter, he’d give me directions, but I think he trusted me to run the offense and lead with what I saw fit and thought was best. And it wasn’t just me — he did that with everybody. He had a lot of confidence in us, and I think that really helped us and drove us to win.

Payne: He instilled a lot of values in us. He cares about his players a lot. He’s always there if you need to talk to him. He’s kind of like a father figure in a way, but he’s also got that tough love where he can get on you and you know it’s coming from a place of him caring about you being a better athlete and a better person.

Soucie: Gosh, I loved playing for Coach Bechard. I get asked every so often, “Would you go back to KU? Would you still commit if you had to do it again today?” And hands down I would. I love Coach B. The more you hear other peoples’ stories, the most you realize you were blessed playing for Coach B. He cares about you as a person. He cheers you on. He tells you how it is, but he’s always got your back no matter what. College is hard enough, and that’s a weird part of life. To have someone who’s actually supporting you and cheering you on both on and off the court, that’s a big thing.

Q: In what ways did your time with KU volleyball impact your life after graduation?

Soucie: Without KU Athletics in general, I definitely wouldn’t be where I’m at today. That goes from the academics side to volleyball to Sheriece Sadberry in sports psychology to the time in the strength training room with Luke Bradford. There’s just so much going on that you don’t really realize in the moment, but you look back and go, wow, those different things really impacted me.

Rigdon: Those four years were so much fun that I knew I wanted to continue my volleyball career. I’ve played two seasons professionally overseas, but I’m getting married this January, so I decided to sit this one out. I recently joined the volleyball staff for the University of Texas, and I think I have KU to thank for that, too — Coach B called our coach, Jerritt Elliott, and told him I’d be perfect for this volunteer position. He said so many good things about me to Jerritt; I definitely owe him an assist. KU shaped the person that I became. It helped me look toward the future and what I want to do.

Havili: All of my best friends are KU volleyball players. We still see each other very often. We call them monthly check-ins, but we literally just fly to see each other wherever we are. We joke, “Isn’t it crazy how all of my best friends were picked by Raymond Bechard back in 2012?” Personal relationships, mental toughness, work ethic — all of that stems from my time at KU volleyball. I’m super grateful to be able to be part of this program.

Payne: It was for me the best and most important four years of my life. I got to travel the world and play for USA Volleyball because of the success I had at Kansas and what those coaches saw me do here. We got to take European trips that showed me international volleyball, which set the table for what I do now. My time there meant everything. And my best friends to this day are still the girls I met from that team — my future bridesmaids, hopefully.

Soucie: We weren’t all best friends off the court, but on the court, there’s no way I wouldn’t do anything for any of them.

Q: Last one: What is one word that describes the KU volleyball program?

Havili: The first word that comes to mind is “family,” just because of how much we all still interact to this day. I definitely made some lifelong relationships through this program.

Payne: I feel like “family” is the obvious choice because, duh, we spend every day together, we are family. It’s hard to sum everything up in just one word. Can I do a sentence? It’s just a feeling that you have a support system no matter what, if that makes sense. It’s a supportive community, from the fans to the team to the staff to the professors. The entire program is just supportive.

Rigdon: One that sticks out to me was the word we rallied behind in 2015: “unprecedented.” I would also say “resiliency,” and for sure “family.” “Hard-working” and “underdogs,” too.Soucie: “Resilience.” Even looking back on my four years there, the first year we made the Sweet 16 and the second year we lost in the first round. We were able to use that experience of being eliminated early in an awkward gym as fuel to get us to the Final Four the next season. And it’s the same thing you’re seeing from the girls now. They didn’t give up at any moment. They were 12-11 at one point but kept pushing through and didn’t let that record define who they were.