Creighton volleyball commit Kendra Wait leaving her mark at Gardner-Edgerton
GARDNER, Kan. (BVM) — Gardner-Edgerton head volleyball coach Hannah Bettge holds the school’s record for total career assists (2,985), but because Creighton University commit Kendra Wait still has half of her season left, Bettge doesn’t expect to have it that much longer.
“I’ve kind of been waiting for her to break it,” Bettge said.
Wait, the Trailblazers’ star setter and reigning Gatorade Kansas Volleyball Player of the Year, began her senior year only 316 assists behind Bettge, a 2013 Gardner-Edgerton grad who was a standout player in her own right. Bettge was a four-year starter who became an all-state performer and set three assist records for the Trailblazers before going on to play collegiately for Baker University and MidAmerica Nazarene University.
But Bettge has known Wait since Wait was a little girl. She played and graduated with Kendra’s older sister Cassie, who went on to become Big 12 Libero of the Year at Kansas, and she played under their father, Darrell Wait, who used to coach Gardner-Edgerton. Bettge isn’t the least bit surprised that Kendra is now leaving her mark on the program.
“I knew it was in the cards for Kendra,” Bettge said. “She always came to practice with us quite often in high school. She was always there getting reps with her dad after practice. I kind of got to watch her grow into herself as a volleyball player. … She’s been athletic since she was little and she’s had a ball in her hands ever since I can remember.”
Kendra’s athleticism hasn’t only translated into success on the volleyball court. She was also named the state’s 2018-19 Gatorade Track & Field Athlete of the Year after winning state titles in both the 100-meter dash and shot put as a sophomore.
“She’s a great athlete overall,” Bettge said. “She’s built differently and she’s so aggressive in the way that she plays and how she runs. She works really hard every single day in the weight room, on the track, on the court, no matter what she’s doing she’s working hard. She’s just a beast of an athlete and you don’t see kids like that very often especially at this age.”
While Kendra’s hard work and athleticism enables her to excel in multiple sports, it’s volleyball that has truly been in her blood since she was a young child. Growing up in a volleyball family has played a pivotal role in Kendra’s development into a future Division I player.
“It definitely helped me a lot growing up because I was always in the gym,” Kendra said. “I was watching (Cassie) play and getting to watch my coach set for her and that just made me learn the game from her from a very young age and that just developed me more. As I continued to grow up and watch other people and watch my sister in college, that just developed my game and made me want to be as great as the people I watched.”
That includes Bettge, who’s in her first year as Trailblazers’ head coach after spending the past two years as an assistant. While Kendra has benefitted from having former players like Bettge and her sister Cassie to look up to, Bettge also feels fortunate to have the opportunity to have coached an athlete as special as Kendra.
“She is one of those kids who just knows she always has something to learn no matter what level she’s at,” Bettge said. “It’s been really fun to coach her because every day she comes in with the mindset that she’s going to learn something new and get better and I think that’s what makes Kendra so great.”
With 164 assists through nine matches, Kendra needs only 153 more to break Bettge’s career record. Considering she averages 9 assists per set, she’ll likely achieve that milestone before the postseason begins. But the record isn’t a concern for Kendra, who’s more focused on leading her team back to the state tournament. Gardner-Edgerton reached the Class 6A state semifinals last season.
“I don’t care about the stats as much,” Kendra said. “I always think just playing my best and going out there and helping the team to a win and playing well for others is what means the most.”
