| Karen Dahlgren Schonewise | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Nationality |  United States |
| College / University | Nebraska |
| Volleyball information | |
| Position | Middle blocker |
Karen Dahlgren Schonewise (née Dahlgren) is a retired volleyball player, who played collegiately forNebraska.
Dahlgren was born to Robert and Betty Dahlgren and grew up inBertrand,Nebraska.[1] She attended Bertrand High School, where she excelled athletically, earning all-state honors for both basketball and volleyball, while winning the Nebraska 100-meter low hurdles event in both 1981 and 1982.[2]
Dahlgren started her collegiate volleyball career atNebraska in 1983, playing forTerry Pettit. Between her sophomore and junior years, she participated on the Junior National Team at theWorld University Games in Japan. She noticed a particular formation run by the team from Korea, called the slide attack, which she brought back to the US. She is credited as the first college player to run this formation in the US which occurred in 1986.[3] When she was a junior, she helped lead the team as a middle blocker to their first NCAA title game in 1986 at the1986 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament.[4] Nebraska beat Stanford in the national semi-finals, setting up the title match against the reigning national champions,Pacific. However, Pacific would prevail once again. Dahlgren played well enough to earn a spot on the all-tournament team.[1][5]
Her play earned her a spot of the all-conference team all four years of her collegiate career. At the time she was inducted into the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame (1999), she was the only player at Nebraska to hold that honor.[6] In 1986, she won the Honda-Broderick Award (now theHonda Sports Award) as the nation's best female collegiate volleyball player.[6]
In 2003, Nebraska retired her No. 13 jersey.[5] In 2005, Nebraska created a list of the top 100 athletes to play for the school. Dahlgren was number 40 on the list.[2]
When she was asked about her best moment in her playing career, she responded, "I'm not sure there was one. I just loved practice. Games are fun, but practice allows you to work on the things you need to do to get better."[2]
Dahlgren competed in the US based professional volleyball leagueMajor League Volleyball (which lasted from 1987 to 1989). She was the first player chosen in their initial draft in 1986.She played for both theMinnesota Monarchs and theNew York Liberties.[2]
She was the volleyball coach atKansas between 1994 and 1997.[2]