MUNCIE – Kristen Lansing was looking for her parents Saturday after Wes-Del won the Class A state volleyball championship. But as the senior defensive specialist gazed into the stands she couldn’t find them. She couldn’t figure out where they had gone.
Eventually, the whole crowd would know exactly where they were. They had been whisked down to the Worthen Arena floor to stand with their daughter as she accepted the IHSAA’s Class A Mental Attitude Award after her team’s 25-22, 25-22, 25-13 sweep of Christian Academy in the state title match.
“It was exciting,” Lansing said.
Lansing is in the top 10 of Wes-Del’s senior class academically. She attributed her academic success to her parents, Steven and Lisa Lansing, saying they expect her to come home with A’s and B’s.
She is also involved in barrel racing, where she competes at the state level, and serves as a manager for the Wes-Del boys basketball team. She plans to go to college at either Indiana or Purdue, and hopes to study business.
Wes-Del coach Biff Wilson said he developed an appreciation for Kristen Lansing’s approach to the sport early in her career. She had four digs in Saturday’s match.
“She can approach a game from the perspective of a player, perspective of even a coach,” Wilson said. “She knows what the team needs, she knows how to conduct herself. And she knows how to control her emotions. And she knows when to let those emotions go. So, from a coaching perspective, you need players like that. And you need players on the floor like that that will show other players similar traits and attributes.”
Lansing describes herself as typically being pretty quiet. But she’s not afraid to speak up for the sake of her team when she feels it’s warranted.
“I’m pretty quiet, usually,” she said. “But when I have something to say, you’ll know it. And I get down to business when it needs to be.”
Lansing said she attempts to be the type of teammate whose example others can follow, especially younger players. It’s something teammate Mariah Berry sees in her. Berry describes her as being a great leader and someone who’s always there for her teammates.
“She leads in her own actions, and talks to the players individually and nicely and respects them all,” Berry said.
Contact prep sports reporter Sam Wilson at (765) 213-5807. Follow him on Twitter @SamWilsonTSP.