By Ryan Deal

605 Sports

The Miller upbringing shaped Fernholz into a K-State volleyball player, competing against Big 12 Conference athletes and playing in front of jam-packed Division I arenas. This season, Fernholz is fourth on the team in blocks (45) and has put down 85 kills. Fernholz is ninth in K-State history in the rally-scoring era with 330 career blocks. 

She’s also helped the Wildcats, who are fighting for an NCAA Division I volleyball tournament bid, set a single-season program record with five victories over ranked opponents. K-State has defeated ranked teams Texas, Baylor, Iowa State and BYU (twice) this year. 

“It was so rewarding to go out in a way beating these teams that I will never get to play again,” Fernholz said. “This is my last year playing them. It was a really good feeling and it put a lot of confidence in my teammates and I knowing we actually can. This is a rewarding feeling knowing you worked so hard for three years and you finally get to experience beating those types of teams that are at such a high caliber.”

South Dakotan develops into Big 12 hitter 

At 6-foot-1 and uber athletic, Fernholz looks the part as a college volleyball player. But she had dreams of playing college basketball and her early childhood memories were filled with dribbling a basketball. 

“I never imagined myself playing college volleyball,” Fernholz said. “I always wanted to play college basketball from the time I was probably in second grade when I started. I went to so many basketball camps. I never ever really went to volleyball camps.”

Volleyball entered her athletic career in the sixth grade and she soon fell in love with it. Once in high school, her natural skills and athleticism translated to Class A South Dakota high school volleyball. 

She was a four-time all-stater, 2019 South Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year and an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American. She led the Linda DeBoer-coached Rustlers to a Class A runner-up finish in 2018. 

Miller, however, isn’t a hotbed for Division I college volleyball players and she took advantage of club volleyball opportunities for more exposure. Fernholz landed a spot with Avera Sports Kairos Volleyball and sent out a highlight tape to college coaches. 

Kansas State was among the colleges and former head coach Suzie Fritz invited the little-known South Dakota prospect to a camp. Fernholz also received interest and scholarship offers from other Division I colleges. 

But the Kansas State players and coaches, coupled with the academics, made it feel like a natural fit. 

“It just felt like a home and it clicked right away,” Fernholz said. “I just felt that feeling right away and I was never planning on coming this far from home. But the feeling that I got here felt secure and I felt comfortable here.”

However, the eight-hour and 500-mile trip from Miller, South Dakota to Manhattan, Kansas for the self proclaimed “home body” was initially intimidating. 

“It was definitely daunting at first and it was something I never imagined myself doing,” Fernholz said. “But I am overall glad that I did because it’s gotten me out of my comfort zone and I have met so many amazing people and just being out of South Dakota can be good.”

Fernholz found her comfort zone on the court, too. She adapted to the Division I pace and gained more knowledge about the game. It translated to starting all 21 matches as a freshman and was one of three players to appear in 85 sets in 2020. She registered 145 kills and led the team with 68 total blocks during her freshman campaign. 

“It was a surprise to me and I knew I had to come in and work hard,” Fernholz said. “I feel like I was a very coachable person because I was learning so much. I was just taking all this information in and I just had an open mind because I knew that I had so much room to grow.”

Fernholz continued to grow and be a key contributor the next two seasons. In 2021, she started all 26 matches, finished with 174 kills and again led K-State with 106 total blocks. 

In 2022, she started all 29 matches, logged 188 kills and finished second on the team with 111 total blocks. 

During the offseason, Jason Mansfield replaced Fritz as the K-State head coach and Fernholz briefly contemplated transferring. Fernholz said it was tempting to play closer to home, but opted to finish as a Wildcat.

“I wanted to stay with my teammates,” Fernholz said. “Also we are getting a new arena. So we have a brand new arena that I would get to play in this year if I got to stay. I wanted to stay for my teammates and not leave them high and dry just because there is a new coaching change.”

This season, Fernholz showed off her team-first mentality for the new coaches. She played middle blocker her first three seasons, and also halfway into her senior season.

But was moved to right-side hitter during conference play and has continued to produce. 

“I told them whatever is going to be best for the team,” Fernholz said. “It was only my defense that was going to be changing with blocking. So attacking is still pretty much the same for me. So we just thought that could be a simple transition to do and benefitting the team.”

Kansas State (14-10, 8-7 Big 12) is competing for a spot in the national tournament in the uber-tough Big 12, which has five teams in the AVCA Top 25, tied for the most of any league. 

The Wildcats close out their home slate against Texas Tech on Friday and Saturday. The Wildcats will honor Fernholz, along with fellow seniors Sydney Bolding, Aliyah Carter, Loren Hinkle and Mackenzie Morris at the conclusion of Friday's match for the Cat's Senior Night recognition.

The Wildcats will close the regular season at No. 21 Houston on Nov. 25. 

Fernholz excels as student-athlete as graduation nears

Fernholz has thrived academically, too. 

She’s been named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and Academic All-Big 12 First Team multiple times. Last season, she maintained a 4.0 grade-point average and earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District First Team status. 

She takes as much pride in her grade-point average as her hitting percentage.

“I take a lot of pride in it because it is really tough being a student along with being an athlete,” Fernholz said. “At this level, we are always on the road. We are always traveling and having practice. When you are doing well and performing well, it’s also another rewarding feeling that you have spent all this time and late nights staying up doing homework have paid off.”

An elementary education major, Fernholz will student teach in Pierre next semester and is on track to graduate in the spring. She plans to move back to South Dakota after graduation to teach and coach volleyball.

But is forever grateful for her K-State experience. 

“I was just thankful I got the opportunity to come play at such a high level because it just doesn't happen for a lot of people from South Dakota,” she said.