EXCLUSIVE: Why K-State’s Carter returns with ‘Unfinished business’
MANHATTAN (KSNT) – K-State volleyball star Aliyah Carter is on a mission in her fifth and final season with the team.
The three-time unanimous All-Big 12 first teamer wasn’t satisfied with how the 2023 season ended for the Wildcats. K-State narrowly missed the NCAA tournament, making for a heartbreaking selection Sunday for Carter and the ‘Cats.
“I think from that moment, I knew we had unfinished business,” Carter said. “I can’t leave right now, like I have to stay.”
The Iowa native has spent her entire college career with the Wildcats, becoming a rarity in the age of the transfer portal. She led the team with 4.56 points per game and 390 total kills in 2023.
Carter considered other options, but after talking with family and teammates, she decided she couldn’t stay away from another year in K-State purple.
“I knew I wanted to graduate from K-State the moment I stepped foot on campus,” Carter said. “I love Manhattan, I love the homey feel, I love everyone here. Coming back for a fifth year, you don’t see that often, and I think a lot of people actually appreciate that.”
The fifth-year senior is looking to play every game this season ‘like its her last,’ as she works to avenge the sting of the selection show. Carter says she’s playing for last year’s seniors who had their final seasons cut short.
The full interview with Carter aired in Sunday’s episode of K-Nation.
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