From CU Sports Info.
Krista Pylant, Sports Information Assistant
Kat Evans hit the Cameron volleyball court in Fall 2012. Four years later, she now leads a young team as the lone senior, garnering many experiences and milestones along the way.
The Pearland, Texas native got her start playing volleyball nearly 12 years ago. Ever the athlete, Evans grew up around sports, participating in basketball, softball, ballet, and tap dance, but it was not until a friend’s mom suggested that she try volleyball that Evans took to the sport with fervor.
“Volleyball stood out because it was different,” Evans said. “My brother and my dad played basketball, so I grew up around it and wanted to try something else. As I got older, I got more into the hitting aspect of volleyball. I really enjoy getting a kill. It’s really fun, and the crowd gets excited when that happens, so that’s the feeling I go for every time I go up for a hit. I want to get the crowd involved, and that’s one way to do it.”
Evans progressed her game to the high school level where she became a three year starter for the Pearland Oilers. During her senior season, Evans was named a KUBE Scholar Athlete, selected for first team all-district and named offensive MVP for the district, became the Greater Houston Volleyball Coaches Association All-Star, and was awarded an All-State selection.
At the conclusion of her high school volleyball career, Evans said she became nervous as most of her teammates had either committed to the collegiate level or moved on to other endeavors, but Evans found her school after participating in a showcase following the Division I volleyball championships where numerous collegiate coaches, including former CU coach Doug Tabbert were present. Evans received a call from Tabbert and began her journey to become an Aggie.
Once at Cameron, Evans quickly immersed herself into the program, knocking down over 400 kills in her first season with the Black and Gold. She continued to strive and achieved 1,000 career kills during her junior year, becoming only one of nine CU volleyball players to surpass that mark.
“That was such an unreal feeling because I didn’t think that was achievable when I arrived at Cameron,” Evans said. “I remember everyone counted down until my 1000th kill and on my last one I spread my arms open and gave [teammate] Rebecca [Green] a really big hug. I actually watched the video of the news coverage from that night this year, and it reminded me of the cool moment I got to share with my team that day.”
Since that day, Evans has reached 1,311 kills in her 117 matches with the Aggies, which is fourth highest all-time at Cameron. This season, she helped a young Aggie team consisting of 13 freshmen to a 13-0 start, the program’s best since the 1998 season. She says she owes her success to every coach and teammate she has ever had in addition to her parents whom she said she draws her inspiration from.
“My dad played JUCO basketball, so he always tells me his stories. He won a national championship, so he always references that throughout my career. His stories make me want to strive for that as well. If you see him in between the games he will always be near the bench with a bag of skittles because when he was in college they always took a sip of Dr. Pepper to give them a sugar rush at halftime. He has always been really big on that, so he always brings me a bag of Skittles and gives me a bit of advice in between games.”
Now in her final season with the Aggies, Evans is preparing to play in her final Lone Star Conference tournament. While she has not pondered much over what will be going through her mind during that weekend, she is certain as to what she will treasure most.
“I will miss my teammates and always being around them no matter what,” Evans said. “I cannot believe my days are limited of being a volleyball player right now. That’s the weirdest feeling. My body is ready to take a break, but my mind is not ready whatsoever. It’s been a fun ride this year.”