Unlike most of the students in her AP Literature class, Lindsay Krause is enjoying their most recent reading assignment — Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities."
Krause is known for her explosive kills on the volleyball court, not for her love of 1850s prose, but that kind of pursuit is key to a player whom Omaha Skutt coach Renee Saunders describes as "analytical."
When Krause takes the court for Omaha Skutt, her physical talents are obvious. Her 6-foot-4 frame allows her to elevate high above the net, and the combination of power and placement in her swings is nearly impossible to defend against. But perhaps more important than any physical attribute is her mental approach, a hard-working attitude that extends throughout her life.
“I just have this inner drive and motivation within myself, and I don’t accept failure a lot,†said Krause, the Journal Star's 2020 Super-State honorary captain. “I’m a horrible perfectionist and I need it to be perfect before I can move on to the next thing, so it can be a blessing and a curse sometimes.â€
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Committing to college volleyball powerhouse Nebraska before she even started high school put a spotlight on Krause from Day 1, but she embraced the pressure and expectations that come with being the No. 2 recruit in the country.
Krause played at the varsity level immediately at Skutt, and she’s thankful for players such as Lily Heyne and Delaney Saucier for their help early in her SkyHawk career. Krause totaled nearly 400 kills as a freshman as her coaches tried to help her develop coordination and strength which would pay dividends in the future.
“I said to my fellow coaches that if she’s this good now, then I can’t wait to see her as a senior,†Saunders said. “She exceeded my expectations for her as a senior, 100%. The kid’s drive and desire to be the best is uncanny.â€
When she’s on the court, Krause’s competitiveness manifests itself in many ways. She plays with emotion and with an intensity that can cause others to make assumptions about the Super-State captain.
She’s close friends with SkyHawk juniors Ava Heyne and Abby Schomers, and they still tease her about the first time they met. Krause was putting together a group chat for the 2018 varsity team and having just practiced together for the first time, the freshman duo were slightly intimidated by their first interaction with the NU recruit.
“I went over to them, and I go, 'What’s your name and put your phone number down,'" Krause said. "I don’t remember saying this, but they remind me every day because I was apparently very scary to them in the beginning."
While Skutt had won back-to-back state titles before Krause even arrived at the school, there’s no denying that her talent and leadership were integral to the four state titles she won in four tries.
According to Saunders, Krause took sophomore Morgan Burke under her wing this season to help the younger player understand the role of an outside hitter. Learning from a fellow high schooler is different from learning from a coach, and Saunders relied on Krause to speak up in team huddles and call out shots at times.
“In games, she has that coach’s brain out there where she sees the floor well and understands the game really well,†Saunders said.
As a student of the game, Krause still speaks with Saunders daily, with improvement and progression constantly on her mind. She has one more semester remaining at Skutt before she can start the next chapter of her volleyball career at Nebraska.
Krause is excited at the opportunity ahead of her, and she’s close with her fellow 2021 recruiting class that includes Waverly’s Whitney Lauenstein and Elkhorn South’s Rylee Gray. Saunders played at Nebraska in the 1990s, and she feels Krause’s attention to detail and determination to improve will help her become a dominant college hitter one day.
“Whenever you have that competitive advantage with the skill set, size and natural tools that she has, that’s a scary combination,†Saunders said.
When she first arrived at Skutt in 2017, the thought of playing in a Nebraska jersey at the Devaney Sports Center seemed far away. Four years and four state titles later, Krause has made her mark on the high school volleyball scene. She’s helped Omaha Skutt become one of the state’s best volleyball dynasties of all time, and she’s affected numerous teammates along the way.
All that’s left now is to transform a long-held dream into a reality.
“It’s odd because it felt like that day would never come,†Krause said. “It’s been over three years since I committed, and now that I’m here in December of my senior year, the reality of how exciting it will be is setting in. If I’m playing volleyball, there can be nothing bad about that.â€
Meet the first-team Super-Staters
Introducing the 2020 Journal Star first-team Super-State volleyball players
LINDSAY KRAUSE
OH | Sr. | 6-foot-4 |Ìý
High school: Omaha Skutt
College: Nebraska
Ad campaign: Krause ended a dominant high school career with her fourth consecutive state championship, and 2020 may have been her finest season at Omaha Skutt. She led the state in both hitting percentage (.475) and aces (88) on top of career-highs in kills and digs. Krause was a first-team Super-State selection four years in a row, and she captains the 2020 squad.
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NORAH SIS
OH | Sr. | 6-foot-2
High school:ÌýPapillion-La VistaÌý
College: Creighton
Ad campaign: Sis topped 500 kills in a season for a second time at the high school level, and she ends her Monarch career with 1,910 terminations. Papillion-La Vista won at least 20 matches and qualified for the state tournament in each of her four seasons, and a college career at Creighton is up next for Sis.
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MYA LARSON
OH | Jr. | 5-foot-11
High school:ÌýWahoo
College: Montana State
Ad campaign:ÌýLarson may not have reached the 600-kill mark she did a year ago, but her 532 kills were still the second-most in the state this season. Her 41-kill performance in the Class C-1 title game was integral to Wahoo claiming the state title in five sets, and the junior recently announced her commitment to Montana State.
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WHITNEY LAUENSTEIN
OH | Sr. | 6-foot 2
High school:ÌýWaverly
College: Nebraska
Ad campaign:ÌýWhile some players are ready for the varsity level immediately, Lauenstein didn’t make the jump until her sophomore year. She had 400 or more kills three seasons in a row while leading Waverly to the state tournament at each opportunity. A talented back-row player as well, Lauenstein is headed to Nebraska next year.
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RYLEE GRAY
MB | Sr. | 6-foot-4
High school:ÌýElkhorn South
College: Nebraska
Ad campaign:ÌýA true force at middle blocker, Gray closed her high school career by leading Elkhorn South to its first state title in school history. Gray set a new career high in hitting percentage while topping 300 kills for the fourth straight year, and another stellar blocking season brought her career total to 476.
ALLIE GRAY
S | 5-foot-11
High school:ÌýOmaha Skutt
College: Arizona State
Ad campaign:ÌýA three-year starter at setter, Gray’s steady hand running the offense has allowed hitters such as Krause to shine. Her 1,023 assists were second-most in the state this season, and Gray also set a new career-best with only 12 ball-handling errors as she makes back-to-back appearances on the Super-State first team.
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ELLE GLOCK
S | Sr. | 6-foot
High school:ÌýWahoo
College: USC
Ad campaign:ÌýAfter beginning her high school career as a hitter, a move to setter resulted in three straight 1,000-assist seasons. Her four-year starting career includes three state championships, and Glock holds the Class C-1 record for the most assists in a season (1,167).
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