WSU Hall of Fame: Libero Kelly Broussard made her time matter

Coaches work and scheme and daydream over recruiting. Sometimes luck and hunger are just as helpful.

Wichita State volleyball coach Chris Lamb planned lunch at Iron Works BBQ with Texas coach Jerritt Elliott in the spring of 2004 while recruiting at a club tournament in Austin. Lamb waited for Elliott to finish a conversation. On a nearby court, he noticed a libero hustling, diving and talking to teammates.

“She was an urgent, desperate, have-to-keep-the-ball off the ground, have-to-try-to-win kid,” Lamb said.

Lamb was watching Kelly Broussard play for Centex and that chance meeting provided a key piece to some of WSU’s best teams. Broussard played from 2005-08 on three Missouri Valley Conference championship teams and two NCAA Tournament teams. WSU went 110-18 in those four seasons, including two 18-0 MVC records.

Broussard, from San Antonio, is one of three former athletes inducted into the Shocker Sports Hall of Fame this weekend. She joins baseball pitcher Mike Drumright and hurdler/sprinter Shannon Armstrong.

Like so many recruiting stories, it happened quickly and unexpectedly. Texas offered Broussard a walk-on spot, but as her senior year in high school ended, she saw herself playing volleyball at a small school. She played outside hitter and her 5-foot-7 height limited her options.

“I just didn’t know there was an opportunity for someone my size,” she said. “I did not think I was capable of being a Division I player.”

Lamb thought differently after watching her that day in Austin. Elliott told him she might be available and Lamb tracked down her mother. Roughly a week later, Broussard visited and committed to WSU.

“Lambo sold me, for sure,” she said. “I fell in love and we made it work.”

Broussard, who redshirted in 2004, earned MVC Libero of the Year and honorable mention All-American honors in 2008. She received Academic All-MVC honors in 2007 and 2008 and added All-District VII academic honors in 2008. Teaming with defensive specialist Melissa Granville and expert well-rounded players such as Abby Harsh, Sara Lungren and Emily Stockman, WSU’s defense and passing carried it to a 68-4 MVC record from 2005-08.

Early in the 2004 season, Lamb gave in to a moment of panic and asked Broussard to end her redshirt and play during a match against Michigan State. She declined and he told her to get out of uniform so he wouldn’t be tempted again. That decision helped build the dominant teams over the next four seasons.

“Granville became our DS when she could have been anybody else’s libero in the conference,” he said. “That was something. You don’t get that every year.”

Broussard needed polishing during her redshirt season, especially with her passing skills. The adjustment to the demands of college took time. Lamb made the hours in the Koch Arena practice gym fun with his imaginative drills.

“I honestly don’t think I knew what I was getting into,” she said. “Most days were five hours dedicated specifically to volleyball. Your time management and your commitment had to be 110 percent.”

Broussard ranks first on WSU’s career list with an average of 4.97 digs a set and total digs with 2,202. Her 628 digs in 2007 and 624 in 2008 are the top two on WSU’s season list. Her vocal leadership and enthusiasm during practices and games is harder to measure, but just as important.

“She worked real hard to be accurate,” Lamb said. “Maybe the rangiest and most tenacious libero we’ve had here. All heart.”

Broussard still plays competitive volleyball and she works as a concierge at a lodge in Keystone, Colo. On Tuesday morning, she put off a snow-boarding session to work on her speech for Saturday’s banquet.

“I’m pretty sure it’s going to be real emotional for me,” she said. “I pushed myself physically and mentally as much as I could on and off the court. I have lot of things to be grateful for.”

This story was originally published February 20, 2015 at 12:21 PM with the headline "WSU Hall of Fame: Libero Kelly Broussard made her time matter."