From one Wildcat to another, Dixon signs with Kansas State

Louisburg senior Anna Dixon (center) made it official on Nov. 14 when she signed her letter of intent to play volleyball at Kansas State. Seated (from left) are Louisburg head coach Jessica Compliment, Anna’s parents Jerry and Beth Dixon and Louisburg assistant coach Leanna Willer.

 

Since giving her commitment to Kansas State two years ago, there was plenty of time where Anna Dixon could have had second thoughts about playing for the Wildcats.

It just never happened – not even a little. Dixon was all in.

“I have always known Kansas State was going to be my home,” Dixon said. “Even since I committed as a sophomore, I always wanted to go up to Manhattan and see the girls and spend time with the team. K-State is where I need to be.”

The Louisburg senior made it official on Nov. 14 when she signed her letter of intent to play for Kansas State next season in front of a room fully of family, friends and teammates. Dixon will trade in one Wildcat uniform for another.

“It hasn’t really hit me fully yet,” she said. “It has been my dream since second grade, not only to play college volleyball, but to play volleyball at K-State. I am still trying to soak it all in.

“It is awesome to have everyone here to be with me on my special day. In my four years of high school, my friends and family have been so supportive of me and traveling to tournaments every weekend with club. Even going through the recruiting process as an eighth-grader and a freshman, it is nice to see the same faces that have been there since the beginning.”

Dixon had a prolific career for the Louisburg volleyball program. She was a two-time Class 4A Player of the Year and earned first team all-state and All-Frontier League honors on several occasions. Earlier this month, she was an honorable mention selection to the Under Armour All-American Team.

She helped the Lady Cats to two state runner-up appearances and led the Lady Cats in kills with 584 in 105 sets played. She also finished with 325 digs, as she played all six rotations and also had 50 aces and 42 blocks.

In her four years with the program, Dixon finished with 2,003 kills, which would place that total among the best the school has ever seen.

Playing Louisburg volleyball is a family tradition as she grew up watching her two older sisters, Katie and Sydney, play in the program. Her mom Beth Dixon and aunt Amy Goode, also played for Louisburg and went on to collegiate careers at Wichita State and Kansas State, respectively.

“It was awesome to be a part of this program,” Anna said. “Watching my older sisters play for so many years, I just couldn’t wait to get up here and contribute in any way I could. My mom and aunt played in the program and I wanted to contribute as much as I could like they did. It has been really enjoyable and my teammates have really made it a lot of fun.”

Now Dixon will move on to the Division I level where she will compete against some of the nation’s best volleyball players on a regular basis. It is that competition that attracted Dixon to the Kansas State program, along with environment that surrounded the team.

“I really like the family atmosphere in Manhattan,” she said. “The girls are so welcoming and sweet and they make me feel right at home whenever I visit. One of my biggest goals was to play in one of the top conferences in the country and the Big 12 is right up there. It seems to keep getting more competitive and I am excited to contribute in any way that I can.”

Kansas State is currently 14-12 on the season, including a pair of wins over rival Kansas, but the Wildcats will be losing seven seniors off its roster for next season. That leaves an opening for Dixon to come in and play right away.

“Anna is a high-level recruit with great size and athleticism at the outside hitter position,” K-State coach Suzie Fritz said in a release. “She has the potential to contribute early on in her career as she is a strong presence at the net, both offensively and defensively. She has a nice combination of size, power, athleticism and control as an attacker and can play physically at the net.

“We believe she is well prepared to quickly transition to the college game with elite club experience at KC Power and coming off a 4A State Player of the Year performance in leading her team to the 4A state championship final.”

She will be graduating from Louisburg this December and will report to Kansas State shortly after to get her college career started and get acclimated to the program.

“There are a lot of spots to fill,” Dixon said. “Since I am graduating early in December and going out there, I think it just gives me a head start so I can work toward trying to earn a spot on the court. Whether I am playing six rotations, playing three or just sitting the bench, I am just happy I can contribute to the team.”

It has been a long journey for Dixon to reach her dream of playing at Kansas State – one that started in the second grade and that saw countless hours in the gym working to get better.

“I started taking volleyball seriously in sixth grade and I had no intentions of playing anywhere except for high school,” she said. “Then I started getting some looks my freshman year and that is when I started taking it more seriously. I practice 3-4 times a week and have been lifting three times a week, so it is a lot of hard work but I enjoy it. I am just so excited to get started at K-State.”