Ansbach’s Kennedy Lange hits the ball over the net as Patricia Rullan and Lucia Martinez of Brussels defend. Ansbach defeated Brussels 25-21, 17-25, 25-20, 25, 20, in the Division III final at the DODEA-Europe volleyball championships at Ramstein, Germany, Oct. 28, 2023. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

Stars and Stripes has selected an Athlete of the Year for each of the respective fall sports played across each of DODEA’s Europe and Pacific theaters. Check out our site this week to read profiles for golf (Tuesday), tennis (Wednesday), cross country (Thursday), volleyball (Friday) and football (Saturday).

Ansbach’s Kennedy Lange isn’t the most boisterous player on the court.

In a sport where many points are celebrated with gusto and chants are a plenty, the Cougar sophomore seems quite quiet.

That doesn’t mean she isn’t noticeable. It’s just that she lets her play do the talking.

“Kennedy’s a very quiet person,” Ansbach coach Deb Keller-Mitchell said. “She doesn’t talk a whole lot, but man, she’s such a great leader.”

Her leadership played a key role in the Cougars defending their Division III championship at last month’s DODEA European volleyball championships in the Kaiserslautern Military Community. Ansbach managed to go unbeaten a season after losing five players to graduation, dropping just four sets all season – two of which came against Division II squad Vicenza.

Lange’s play throughout the season earned her Stars and Stripes’ European girls volleyball Athlete of the Year honors.

For all the talk about her reserved nature, her play was anything but that. The 6-foot middle blocker displayed a ruthless streak on the courts, wreaking havoc on opponents through aggressive serving, hitting prowess and blocking presence at the net.

Lange seemed to have a knack to find the right places or players to attack. She said it’s one of her best traits.

“I’m always looking for the weakest passer,” Lange said. “Even before the play is happening, you can find them right away, and that’s where you’re trying to put the ball most of the time. Either that, or in the hole.”

Many of those spikes came at important times for the Cougars. Whether it was to stop an opponent’s run or to finish a set or match, Ansbach time and time again turned toward their stalwart in the middle.

Lange did it with such frequency that her coach ended up calling on the team’s “Band-Aid” during matches.

“There’s times that I asked her, ‘How does your back feel?’ … And she’s like, ‘What do you mean?’” Keller-Mitchell said. “I said, ‘I need you to put our team on you back and I need you to carry us to the finish line. Can you do that?’ And her response is always, ‘Yes, yes, I can.’”

Her attitude stems from her coachability, Keller-Mitchell said, and Lange hears all the time about that trait.

Lange’s mother, Amie, coached at Ansbach while Kennedy was in middle school. The younger Lange used that opportunity to watch the older girls play and participate in some drills in practice.

So when she joined the team her freshman year, Lange had a good base before soaking up information from the Ansbach coaching staff. Keller-Mitchell said she can learn after just one view or description from others.

Even after two seasons of it, it still leaves her coach in awe at times.

“In 30 years of coaching, I would say that she’s probably the most coachable kid I’ve dealt with,” Keller-Mitchell said. “I can tell her something, I can show her or we can watch a video, and then she has this uncanny ability to just go and replicate it.”

One group from which she has learned a lot is a group of Ansbach community members who get together and play volleyball every Monday and Wednesday.

She said the group is a part of her plan to improve her game during the offseason, a regime that includes increasing her quickness on the court.

“Some of them played in college and have played at other places,” Lange said. “They’re really good role models. You can always look at one of them and see ‘How do I do this?’

“My biggest thing is I’m going to keep playing throughout the year. I’m not just going to drop it and forget about it.”