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Five jerseys hang from the rafters at Koch Arena, all former men's basketball players. It might be time to add a sixth, from a different sport and gender.
Sara Lungren, Wichita State's outside hitter in volleyball from Caldwell, recently completed the most honored career of any Shocker female in a team sport. It is worth discussing the pros and cons of hanging No. 5 at Koch Arena, the place she helped make a fall destination for thousands of fans.
Lungren is a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, an all-region selection (first team in 2007 and honorable mention in 2006) and twice an MVC scholar-athlete selection. She played on three MVC championship teams and two NCAA Tournament teams.
That is all groundbreaking stuff at WSU.
"There's a lot of girls in the last couple years that put a lot into this program," WSU coach Chris Lamb said. "On one hand, I'll always wonder about each of those players if Sara gets something that they don't get. At the same time, I do believe somebody deserves something. We've come a long way in a very, very short time, relatively speaking, in this Division I volleyball thing and we've had, certainly, one very special player."
Lungren is that special player. Her four years coincided with the growth of Shocker volleyball from a nonentity to a fabulously successful program, in the stands and on the court. As Lamb points out, other Shockers did great things. Lungren's list of accomplishments is the longest.
"The fact she became a six-rotation player, the fact that she truly became one of the better back-row players in the league, and she always was one of the better front-row players," Lamb said. "It's just hard to argue. Everybody would have to agree nobody's done more than Sara."
Retiring numbers should not be done lightly, so let us not clear space for Lungren without a thorough exam. It would diminish the honor to rush into a decision based on the emotion of Lungren's skills so fresh in our minds.
The informal standard at WSU is All-American status (and not just honorable mention), something Lungren has yet to achieve. She is eligible for All-American honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association when its first, second, third teams and honorable-mention picks are announced Wednesday.
Lungren's career does not match the national juice of men's basketball players such as Dave Stallworth or Xavier McDaniel. All five of the basketball players received some kind of first- or second-team All-America honors. They were, in general, among the best in the nation, player of the year candidates and high NBA Draft picks.
Should we judge volleyball at WSU by a lesser standard?
The Nebraskas, Penn States and Hawaiis of the world will dominate the volleyball All-American teams. The AVCA has picked All-America teams since 1981, and four MVC players have made one of the three teams. Lungren is a long shot to earn anything other than honorable mention honors on Wednesday.
Perhaps it is a matter of perspective. At this point, it is hard to imagine a Shocker volleyball player surpassing Lungren's accomplishments. Perhaps that is the wrong perspective. Perhaps WSU will take another step forward in the coming years and attract players that are even more talented.
Whether or not WSU takes N 5 out of circulation, Lungren's legacy will always be in the first chapter of the WSU volleyball story.
"Name the ship after her," Lamb said. "The S.S. Lungren."
Sara Lungren, Wichita State's outside hitter in volleyball from Caldwell, recently completed the most honored career of any Shocker female in a team sport. It is worth discussing the pros and cons of hanging No. 5 at Koch Arena, the place she helped make a fall destination for thousands of fans.
Lungren is a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, an all-region selection (first team in 2007 and honorable mention in 2006) and twice an MVC scholar-athlete selection. She played on three MVC championship teams and two NCAA Tournament teams.
That is all groundbreaking stuff at WSU.
"There's a lot of girls in the last couple years that put a lot into this program," WSU coach Chris Lamb said. "On one hand, I'll always wonder about each of those players if Sara gets something that they don't get. At the same time, I do believe somebody deserves something. We've come a long way in a very, very short time, relatively speaking, in this Division I volleyball thing and we've had, certainly, one very special player."
Lungren is that special player. Her four years coincided with the growth of Shocker volleyball from a nonentity to a fabulously successful program, in the stands and on the court. As Lamb points out, other Shockers did great things. Lungren's list of accomplishments is the longest.
"The fact she became a six-rotation player, the fact that she truly became one of the better back-row players in the league, and she always was one of the better front-row players," Lamb said. "It's just hard to argue. Everybody would have to agree nobody's done more than Sara."
Retiring numbers should not be done lightly, so let us not clear space for Lungren without a thorough exam. It would diminish the honor to rush into a decision based on the emotion of Lungren's skills so fresh in our minds.
The informal standard at WSU is All-American status (and not just honorable mention), something Lungren has yet to achieve. She is eligible for All-American honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association when its first, second, third teams and honorable-mention picks are announced Wednesday.
Lungren's career does not match the national juice of men's basketball players such as Dave Stallworth or Xavier McDaniel. All five of the basketball players received some kind of first- or second-team All-America honors. They were, in general, among the best in the nation, player of the year candidates and high NBA Draft picks.
Should we judge volleyball at WSU by a lesser standard?
The Nebraskas, Penn States and Hawaiis of the world will dominate the volleyball All-American teams. The AVCA has picked All-America teams since 1981, and four MVC players have made one of the three teams. Lungren is a long shot to earn anything other than honorable mention honors on Wednesday.
Perhaps it is a matter of perspective. At this point, it is hard to imagine a Shocker volleyball player surpassing Lungren's accomplishments. Perhaps that is the wrong perspective. Perhaps WSU will take another step forward in the coming years and attract players that are even more talented.
Whether or not WSU takes N 5 out of circulation, Lungren's legacy will always be in the first chapter of the WSU volleyball story.
"Name the ship after her," Lamb said. "The S.S. Lungren."
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