Dunn ends Pitt State career in record-setting fashion

By Andy Brown
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Updated: December 17, 2018

Courtesy of Pittsburg State

Pittsburg State junior Lauren Dunn became the school record holder last month in service aces. Dunn, who is a Louisburg High School graduate, also earned All-MIAA honors.

PITTSBURG – Although it wasn’t the year she was hoping for as a team, Lauren Dunn personally had a season to remember for the Pittsburg State volleyball program.

Dunn cemented her name in the Pittsburg State record books when she became the single season-record holder for service aces with 59 when the Gorillas squared off with Emporia State on Nov. 2. She would finish the year with 60 aces overall.

It was an impressive feat and Dunn, a 2016 Louisburg High School graduate, didn’t have much of a clue that she was close to any kind of record.

“I was very surprised,” Dunn said. “My coaches had kept it from me until it happened because they didn’t want me to over think it. I honestly had no idea that was even a possibility.”

As for the Gorillas themselves, they finished their season with an 18-13 record and a 7-11 mark in the MIAA. Dunn, a junior, served as a defensive specialist for Pittsburg State and led the team in a couple different categories.

Along with service aces, she also led the team with 456 digs and averaged 4.07 digs per set. She played in all 31 matches for the Gorillas, but that 31^st match was her last as a collegiate volleyball player, despite having one more year of eligibility remaining.

“As for the future, I decided that nursing school needed to come first and I decided to end my volleyball career,” Dunn said. “It was a very hard decision, but getting my nursing degree is very important to me.”

Dunn certainly left the Pitt State program on a high note as she also received postseason honors for her performance. She was named to the All-MIAA honorable mention team as she led the MIAA in service aces and was ninth in the conference in digs per set.

Dunn was also recognized for her work in the classroom as she was recently named as an MIAA Scholar Athlete and to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll.

To qualify as a Scholar-Athlete an individual must have a grade point average used by the institution for purposes of NCAA academic certification of 3.50 at the certifying member institution. They must also have at least two terms of attendance at the certifying member institution, excluding summer terms. If competing in a championship sport of the MIAA, the student-athlete must earn All-MIAA honors.

The honors were great for Dunn to receive, but she would have liked to play a little bit longer with her team.

“Our overall season was good, but the team had more room for improvement,” Dunn said. “We had a winning season, which hadn’t happened for a while, so that is good. Being mentioned as all-conference is a big honor. I’m glad my hard work paid off and it was awesome to be recognized.

“We were one seed away from making the conference tournament, which was a bit disappointing, but we knew that this was the best season we have had in a long time.”