WICHITA, Kan.- When Sara Younes [Butler] walks into the courtroom, she knows she has an advantage over her coworkers at Bryan Cave International.  Her competitive will to win and disciplined nature, all traits she learned while playing volleyball at Wichita State, seem to shine when it comes time to represent her clients as their commercial litigator.

“At the time, I thought double days were the hardest time in my life,” Younes said.  “Double days were so long and difficult. They were physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting.”

Now she looks back and realizes she had such a great life in college.  Being a good volleyball player came natural to Younes, but being a good attorney takes discipline and hard work; characteristics that she walked away with after four years of playing college volleyball.

“Coach Lamb wanted us to be the best,” Younes said.  “He was very disciplined, structured, and demanding. Because it was so intense, I think I am now able to be really focused with my job. Working long hours doesn't bother me as much as other people who haven't been through the experiences that I have been through at Wichita State. I go to work everyday knowing that I am tough, and that I am going to work hard because I had to for four years.”

Younes said that being a college athlete definitely prepared her for the real world, but that there has still been a transition period. Her clients at Bryan Cave range from Fortune 500 companies to local and regional partnerships. She has always been competitive, but as an attorney, the stakes are that much higher.

“In college you want to win so bad and you think that's everything, but now I have clients and these multi-million dollar cases,” Younes said.  “I have to make sure I bring it everyday and I don't let the ball slip because there is so much more on the line.”

Younes' success in the courtroom shouldn't come as a surprise to Shocker fans, considering they watched her take the volleyball program from the bottom of the Missouri Valley Conference to its pinnacle, all in four years.

“When I first came to Wichita State, we were ninth in the conference and during my years to go from ninth to first and to make the NCAA tournament, it was just a turn around,” Younes said. “My four years at Wichita State were very special and a big part of my life, so to be honored by Wichita State is amazing.”

Younes was named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Centennial Team. In 2001, she was selected as the MVC Freshman of the Year and honored as a member of the all conference second team. Younes was a three-time all-MVC first team performer in 2002, 2003, and 2004. Her list of awards goes on and on, but being inducted into the Pizza Hut Shocker Hall of Fame sits at the top for Younes.

“I had a list of things I wanted to accomplish at Wichita State,” Younes said. “I told Chris [Lamb] when I first went there that I wanted to be an All-American. I wanted the program to be successful. I wanted to have a great team, build chemistry with my teammates, and create a family. I accomplished all of that. And now, to be honored after I have been out of the program for five years is just a huge accomplishment. I am so honored.”

In 2004, Younes led the Shockers to the first MVC regular season title, first MVC tournament title, and the first NCAA tournament appearance in school history.  That same season, she was honored as the MVC Player-of-the-Year.  For her, that is a season she will always remember.

“I think we just had such great chemistry that season,” Younes said.  “I think we finally came into our own.  My senior year it just all came together perfectly because every single person on the team was strong.  We had been through so much together. We had played together for four years and that was our last chance together. We knew we had to make it amazing and we wanted it so badly.”

Younes and her teammates re-wrote the history books during that 2004 season and created memories that will last a lifetime. 

“Whenever we see each other, it's just like old times,” Younes said.  “We are still very close and it's like no time has passed. I still feel very connected to the program. I mean it's my family, I spent four years with them.”

Younes is now working on creating a family of her own. She is living in Kansas City and has been happily married for three and a half years. 

“My husband and I are expecting our first child this summer,” Younes said.  “We are very excited, my parents are, and as well as the in-laws.  We are all definitely ready for this and couldn't be more thrilled.”

With a booming career, a happy marriage, and a child on the way, Younes couldn't be any happier about her future.  The upcoming induction to the Pizza Hut Shocker Hall of Fame is just icing on the cake for a very successful Sara Younes [Butler].

Leah Phillips, WSU Media Relations

-Wichita State-