Ever since senior Kate Endress entered the Ball State program the women's basketball team has had the goal of winning the Mid-American Conference and playing in the NCAA Tournament.
After three failed attempts, it's do-or-die time for Endress.
"The number one goal I've set for myself is to lead this team to it's first NCAA birth," Endress said. "That's what I wake up in the morning thinking about, that's what I think about at practice."
As the only senior on the team she has a much bigger and different role than has in previous seasons.
"I think I have taken a lot bigger leadership role, responsibility role, more of a coach on the floor than I have been in the past," Endress said. "I get along with the players on the team really well so it doesn't necessarily seem like the authoritative figure."
While head coach Tracy Roller said having only one senior on the team isn't always good from a coaching standpoint, it works with Endress.
"It's probably the way Kate would want it; she's so driven," Roller said. "If anybody can do it Kate can because of her drive and her individualistic nature."
Sophomore Kelsey Corbin sees it as and advantage because there's one person you know you can go to at any time.
"The kind of person she is I really think that she takes that role and takes it with a lot of heart," Corbin said. "She loves being our captain and she loves being our leader and she's done an awesome job of it so far."
Even the freshmen, who haven't been in practice for a month, recognize what Endress brings to the team.
"There's not a word to describe here, she's just unbelievable," Julie DeMuth said. "She's a very good leader and everyone knows we can go to Kate for anything."
One thing Endress tried to do was bring a different attitude to the team. This year the team sees the need to be driven, just like Endress , to win games.
"Personally there's more a sense of finality about this year," Endress said. "This is it. If we don't get it done this year, personally I'm not going to get it done. "I'm very focused on what I want to accomplish this year personally and as a team so I think it has kind of filtrated through to the team."
While the role of leader may be new to Endress the role of scoring is not. She led the team in scoring last season, averaging 18.8 points per game along with 6.9 rebounds.
It wasn't just last year Endress scored either, she has been putting points on the board ever since she came to Ball State. Her freshman year she averaged 9.9 points and during her sophomore year she averaged 15.
She is one of only 16 players in the history of the program to pass the 1,000-point career mark. Currently Endress ranks seventh with 1,307 points, which is 784 points behind Tamara Bowie's all-time record of 2,091.
While passing that total is unlikely, she very well could end up with the second-best total. Johna Goff, her teammate last year, has that position now, but Endress needs 328 points. She scored 525 last season.
Endress also excels in the classroom as an entrepreneurship major. She has a 3.94 grade-point-average and is the first player in school history to be named First-Team Academic All-American.
Everyone always asks her how she balances athletics and academics, and she says that it just works for her.
"You just have to be organized," Endress said. "You've got to be on top of it, you've got to go to class. It's just matter of putting in the right time and doing it right. I work hard in the classroom, I work hard on the court and it just works for me."
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