Volleyball fans loyal to team

Prior to Wednesday night, the K-State volleyball team was on an eight-match losing streak after facing five top-15 teams. With sweep after sweep, morale naturally drooped as the grind continued, and the press began to favor opposing teams as seems to happen when the weather turns foul.

But this was not true of the die-hard group that flocks to the Purple Pit for every home match. No, the fans were not to be perturbed.

A few weeks ago, Britton Drown of the Manhattan Mercury wrote a great piece on the overwhelming fan support for the volleyball team. In it, he reported the school was 11th in terms of average attendance throughout the nation and third for the Big 12 Conference, with over 2,000 loyal supporters showing up for each match.

While that is an amazing feat, it is not so surprising once one attends a match. An hour before first serve, a line of purple-clad maniacs stretches out in front of Ahearn Field House, preparing for the carnage that is to come.

When the sport gets underway, the Purple Pit relentlessly fills the arena with cheers, many designed for a particular circumstance.

For instance, when freshman defensive specialist Tristan McCarty serves, the fans mimic the preparation of a "Shake n' Bake" meal. And when the Wildcats are setting up their next blistering attack, fans count out loud — which is an ability that some in-state opponents seem unable to perform — the number of touches, adding to the energy of the sport.

The involvement moves to the other side of the net as well, although in less supportive ways, like when the Purple Pit sings the chorus to "It's a Small World" when the most vertically challenged opponent toes the serving line.

The members of K-State's volleyball team have commented on how much the fan support helps the team, with one even going so far as to say she will miss that aspect the most.

Thus, the die-hard K-Staters who pack every match and contribute to the electrifying atmosphere that fills Ahearn are singular and irreplaceable. They remain loyal in spite of a rocky patch, supporting the team when it has little to brag about it. They come to matches in droves that are much larger than most every other team's attendance in the nation. They participate in those matches in myriad ways that increase the fan experience for all.

Put frankly, they are Wildcats.