The RoundHouse | 11/5/2021 9:19:00 AM

 
 
Mom played volleyball at Notre Dame and coached 14 seasons at Milwaukee. Dad plays bass guitar in "The Potentials," a band that specializes in 1980's cover songs.
 
So hit it, Kayce Litzau.

Snare drums. Marching band. Violin. Volleyball setter at Wichita State. Sometimes you solo. Sometimes you play backup.
 
"There's teamwork in there," she said. "You have your own part, and then when it fits in with all the other drums and cymbals and everything it's super cool when it works out perfectly. It's really something special."
 
Litzau's sophomore season feels super cool. She is playing the sharpest volleyball of her career and Wichita State (14-7, 8-4 American Athletic Conference) has won eight of nine matches.
 
The Shockers play Houston (19-5, 9-3) at 7 p.m. Friday and Tulane (14-10, 7-5) at noon Sunday at Koch Arena.
 
"This is the best Kayce Litzau that any of us have ever seen," coach Chris Lamb said. "When she first got here, at times, the game looked too fast for her. And we put a lot on her. You're seeing now that she can hold her own with some of the better setters in our conference and that's a testament to her growth as an athlete."
 
Litzau comes from the kind of family where growth is a byproduct of a busy schedule and expectations to study, participate in extra-curricular activities and follow mom, Kathy Litzau, to volleyball practice.
 
"She puts a lot on her plate and does everything," Kathy Litzau said. "They did what kids do – dance, cheer, played basketball, softball, soccer. We introduced them to everything."
 
Steve Litzau, her father, influenced her music.
 
Kayce Litzau played snare drum for one of the best high school marching bands in the country at Greendale (Wis.) High School. Greendale is the kind of band program that marches in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and transports its equipment in its own 48-foot trailer, with a musical note and a list of state championships on the side. She started playing violin as a fourth grader. She is learning guitar.
 
 

If at first you don't succeed, keep hitting the ball really hard.@kayce_litzau brings us to the media timeout with this bullet!

📺: https://t.co/bjGdh9mEwY pic.twitter.com/lVTW3qTkZG

— Wichita State Volleyball (@GoShockersVB) October 24, 2021

"It was always get involved as much as you can," she said. "Join and make friends and have fun with what you're doing. Give it a try."
 
While she loved music and soccer, volleyball maintained its priority with Kayce. Kathy Litzau coached Milwaukee to six NCAA Tournament berths and eight Horizon League titles during her time as coach. Kayce and older sisters Lauren and Danielle played along with the Panthers at practice and matches.
 
"We would always have college athletes as our baby-sitters in the summer," Kayce Litzau said. "We got to know them personally, as well as seeing them play. Being able to have that connection, personally and athletically, was super cool. Growing up and being completely submerged was what drew me to wanting to be a college athlete."
 
Kathy Litzau, senior associate athletic director at Milwaukee since 2007, coached all three of her daughters in youth volleyball. Oldest sister Lauren played defensive specialist at Minnesota. Danielle also played setter and the three daughters played together at Greendale High School for one season and advanced to the state tournament.
 
"At a very young age, (Kayce) was a little more gifted with her hands than other young kids," Kathy Litzau said. "All three of my daughters, just from always having a ball around, they knew how to serve overhand before a lot of kids. They knew all the skills. They just knew what it should look like because they literally grew up in the gym."
 
When Wichita State recruited her daughter, Kathy Litzau knew how to evaluate a potential school. They separated schools into two piles – one for schools they needed more information about, one for schools they were interested in, no question.
 
She knew Lamb's reputation for producing winning teams. Wichita State went into the "no question" pile. A visit showed her that Wichita State backed volleyball with academics, health and training.
 
"They certainly support their student-athletes at a very high level," Kathy Litzau said. "I oversee a lot of student services (at Milwaukee) . . . so I have a gauge that I can compare to. I was really impressed with everything that Wichita State had to offer."
 
Kayce Litzau came to Wichita State in 2019 and shared time at setter in her first two seasons. Early in 2021, she grabbed the position. Two seasons of setting full-time provided the experience necessary to read defenses and develop chemistry with her hitters. Her attacking skills provide an important weapon.
 
"Before college, I was setter in the back row and hitter in the front row," she said. "Repetition has a lot to do with it. Being more comfortable in what I'm doing and trusting myself that I'll do it correctly and make the right decision a high percentage of time."
 
Her family attends many matches and watches others on ESPN+. Kathy Litzau sees her daughter diagnosing one-on-one matchups and getting the ball to the hot hitters more effectively than in previous seasons.
 
"She's really helping the hitters be successful and give them a ball that works for them," Kathy Litzau said. "She's gotten much better at that – giving each hitter a ball that works for them and in the right situation. Kayce has much better vision this year than I've ever seen before, the ability to get her feet to the ball quickly and know where her hitters are."
 
That vision is not much different from executing the choreography of a halftime band show.
 
"The steps you take to be successful in both marching band and volleyball are extremely similar," Kayce Litzau said. "You have to listen to your leader. You have to have other leaders within the big group, within the team. Trust that the person next to you is doing what they're doing and doing what they're supposed to and you're all going to do your best. Once that happens, it's good."
 



Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.