Flashback Friday: Kate Lang’s journey to and through the islands

HONOLULU – How fast time flies. 

University of Hawai’i senior Kate Lang has been a staple on the floor for the volleyball program for years, starting the last 107 straight matches and playing in a total of 114 since 2021. It has been a long (but also fast), bumpy (but also fun) ride with one of the most consistently strong women’s volleyball programs in the country that has helped Lang evolve from a tough Texas kid into so much more. 

Born in Indiana, Lang was a soccer player at an early age before her family made the move down to Texas when she was seven. Her sports journey included stops on horseback and the basketball court before finally making her way to the volleyball court. 

“I’m a horse girl at heart,” Lang chuckled when talking about her horseback riding days during an interview with Olivia Austin on the Hawaii Players’ Pod in 2023. “I remember thinking to myself like I don’t know anybody that does the same afterschool stuff that I do … but then I started getting into like basketball and volleyball and that’s where I made a lot of friends.” 

Her basketball career casually closed around the age of 12, shifting more focus to the volleyball court as she knew she wanted to pursue playing at the college level. By the age of 14, a set position on the floor painted a clearer picture of which spot she would use to punch her ticket to being a collegiate student-athlete.  

“It was the first year that I was like I’m really getting serious into [pursuing college volleyball],” Lang said of when she turned 14. “I wanted to start recruiting at 15.” 

Hawai’i obliged, offering Lang at the age of 15 and seeing the setter from Texas commit to the Rainbow Wahine by the time she was 16 years old. She admitted in the Hawaii Players’ Pod interview that if she could go back and commit to a school again, she would still pick the University of Hawai’i. 

The hardships came, losing her father unexpectedly at that same youthful age of 16 and trying to pick up the pieces of life with her mother. It was the one of the first inflection points in her life, forcing her to reconsider friendships in what she desired out of them and who she wanted around her. 

Her relationship with her mother grew closer than ever, supporting her while needing to grow up and mature faster than others her age. While she grew, she also points to that period – when other people placed the pressure on her to take care of her mom despite being a kid mourning her own father’s passing – as part of the start of her battle against anxiety that continues. 

The University of Hawai’i women’s volleyball coaching staff, more specifically former associate head coach Angelica Ljungqvist, called Lang to offer their condolences and explain that they would understand if she felt the need to go back on her commitment to the Rainbow Wahine program. She had no interest or intention of changing her plans despite the sudden shift in her life, despite multiple options far closer in her home state of Texas still being available to her. 

She made her way to the islands with more murky waters surrounding her, seeing the first chance at a college season get cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She once again persevered, returning to the program in 2021, pushing into the starting lineup by the game’s seventh match and earning all-Big West All-Freshman team honors for her efforts.  

Lang continued her progression, winning the Big West Setter of the Year award in her sophomore season and earning back-to-back all-conference selections in 2022 and 2023. For as much as she grew on the court, she found herself growing off the floor as well as on it. 

The tough Texas kid has meetings with head coach Robyn Ah Mow, a USA Volleyball Hall of Fame setter, every week for a time that both player and coach refer to as an opportunity to have real, adult conversations. For Ah Mow, it is one of the things that she will miss most about Lang. 

“There’s a lot of girls that are too scared to come up [to my office],” said the veteran head coach. “From Day 1, [even after] we kind of hit the heads the first year, she just kept coming [to my office]. I think I’m going to miss that, her coming upstairs [for meetings].” 

For Lang, those meetings helped push her to become the woman and leader that she is today. The young girl who found herself tightening her circle and dealing with the fallout of losing her father while she should have been able to focus on getting her drivers’ license finds it easier today to handle the tough, uncomfortable conversations because of her time with Ah Mow. 

“After [playing for] this program, I’m definitely okay with confrontation and I’m okay with having adult conversations, and that’s all thanks to Coach [Robyn],” Lang said during her Senior Week press availability. 

She now enters her final two home matches of her pristine college career, Long Beach State and UC San Diego visit the Stan Sheriff Center for the final battles in the islands with Lang quarterbacking the Rainbow Wahine attack. Awaiting her will be the thousands of screaming fans that have supported her since she first committed to UH, a fanbase that ranks in the top three nationally in both total attendance and average total attendance for home women’s volleyball matches and played a massive part in her reaffirmation of her commitment to Hawai’i. 

“One of the biggest reasons I came to UH was the community’s support,” Lang said on Wednesday. “I have so much love … I love our fans so much; I love this community, and I’m so honored to be able to play for them every weekend.” 

Hawai’i will host Long Beach State on Friday night for “Military Night” before taking on UC San Diego on Saturday for “Show ’UHM Your Aloha Senior Night” when the careers and contributions of both Lang and fellow senior Tayli Ikenaga will be recognized following the match’s completion. Both contests have an expected first serve of 7 p.m.