Kearney, Neb. - Starting in May 2014, a new feature called "Loper Reconnection" will profile former UNK student-athletes. Student Andrew Hanson asks the chosen Loper a series of questions.

The 13th subject is former All-American setter Bethany Spilde. Wrestlers Bryce Abbey and Brian Hagan, Darcie Berry (softball), Justin Coleman and Jay Dostal (football), Jenni Luke (volleyball), Diane Davidson Rouzee (softball & volleyball), Nick Svehla, Mike Hancock & John Higgins (men's basketball), Jade Meads (women's basketball) and Karol McKenzie Nelson (track) were previously profiled.

Spilde ran the offense for the Lopers in a time when UNK was rolling through the RMAC (Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) and making deep runs in the NCAA Tournament. She currently ranks fourth in school history with 5,393 assists. That figure could've been higher had she not missed most of 2005 due to injury.


Name: Bethany Spilde
Hometown/High School: Council Bluffs, Ia./Abraham Lincoln H.S.
Years: 2002-05
Sport: Volleyball

If you think about some of the top volleyball brands in NCAA Division II, the University of Nebraska at Kearney is right there at the top of the list.
 
The program has been to 16 straight NCAA Tournaments and won 11 conference championships since the start of the 21st century. The Lopers have had all of their success while leading Division II in attendance essentially the entire time.
 
One player who has been an integral part of that success, and someone who knows a thing about brands herself, is Bethany Spilde, who was a setter for the Lopers from 2002-05.
 
A Council Bluffs, Iowa native, Spilde was a part of Loper teams that reached three consecutive Elite Eights.
 
Her freshman year, she was a second-team All-RMAC selection as UNK lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to West Texas A&M.
 
"As a freshman, the whole year seemed kind of intimidating and over my head, but you kind of get that first year under your belt and get a taste of it," Spilde said. "It was actually nerve-wracking, but at the same time it was an awesome experience.
 
"Going forward you only expect to do better and better, and you're improving as a team and individually."
 
Spilde and the Lopers did both.
 
In 2003, she was named to the first-team All-RMAC, and the following year she was a second-team All-American selection. As Spilde's career progressed, UNK kept advancing a little further and further each year in the postseason.
 
In her sophomore season, the Lopers advanced to their first Elite Eight since 1996, losing to Grand Valley State (Mich.) in the national quarterfinals in straight sets. This wouldn't be the last time the two teams would square off in Spilde's career, though.
 
In the Elite Eight the following year, UNK knocked off Cal State Bernardino, 3-1, before losing in the Final Four to Truman State (Mo.). The Lopers spent much of the season ranked No. 1 in the nation and won 40 straight matches before suffering that four set loss to Truman.
 
Then came Spilde's senior season where UNK would go on to finish as national runner-up, falling to GVSU in the title match. The Elight Eight was played in Kearney that fall, drawing crowds of well over 5,000 all three nights.
 
Unfortunately, Spilde's final season in a Loper uniform was cut short. "I broke my foot halfway through the season," she said reflecting on her career. "That season kind of had an interesting spin for me because I saw it from the bench standpoint. The whole journey was awesome, though.
 
"To then become the encourager, it was awesome to see our girls and our team keep moving forward and achieving the dream that was on our list for a few years."
 
And, of course, in part due to the brevity of her senior season, Spilde wished she had an extra year.
 
"If we just could have had one more year because we kept getting one step closer," Spilde joked.
 
In part, Spilde and her team's successes are tied to the UNK volleyball brand. The Lopers sustained success since the '0's is something she has always pondered.
 
"Our team was very dynamic as far as personalities go. Our second team was just as strong as the first team. They would beat us a lot in practice," Spilde added. "From a personality standpoint, we gelled so well on the court and learned to appreciate each other off the court as well."
 
After graduating from UNK in 2006, at what was the beginning of the social media era, Spilde saw something.
 
She worked briefly at Intellicom in Kearney, where she had done an internship and then headed to play professional volleyball in France. Spilde then worked for an ad agency before winding up in Kansas City in 2008.
 
"Within probably six months of living here I started my own business doing social media marketing," Spilde said. "That's something I never envisioned myself doing – owning a business – but it's one of those step-by-step things and all the doors started opening."
 
When Spilde first moved to Kansas City, she worked for a media company that allowed her to meet clients and start building a portfolio.
 
"I asked two of my clients if I could experiment with social media to see if it would do anything for their business. One was a real estate agent and one was a wellness coach," said Spilde. "After a couple months, they both started seeing more traffic to their website and a few more phone calls every month. The wellness coach was in Olathe, Kansas, and then her world just opened up."
 
This was how Social Buzz Media was formed.
 
"With this, I saw there was something here, and I can help people build their business with these tools and concepts," she continued. "I have clients and interest and thought I should call it something. That's how Social Media Buzz was built."
 
Six months after starting her company, Social Media Buzz, she was speaking at the Sprint Global Headquarters in Kansas City teaching them about social media.
 
"It's been a whirlwind," Spilde remarked.
 
In addition to running her own business, Spilde also has an interest in higher education. Currently, she's part-time teaching at an area community college and has taught at the Kansas State extension office in Olathe, too. "I'm getting more involved in academic, just bridging that gap between academic and business."