She’s no longer diving for digs in Koch Arena, but Annalie Heliste is still a presence for Wichita State’s volleyball team.
Heliste, who played from 2021-24, has found a role as a graduate assistant coach while pursuing a Master of Arts in Communication Science and Disorders.
Balancing her demanding coursework and new role hasn’t been easy — but it’s a challenge Heliste’s taken head-on.
“It’s just more time-consuming,” she said. “But, I’ve realized through it all that I have picked the right career path, and I’m loving every minute of it.”
Her choice to get into speech-language pathology began in high school. When applying for graduate programs after finishing her undergraduate degree, the relationships she built on the team and in the classroom made the decision to stay at Wichita State an easy choice.
“My experiences as a college athlete and my time with the coaching staff — they’ve been super, super great,” Heliste said. “School-wise, I honestly felt the same about my professors and my classmates … I’ve made some really great friends.”
Heliste learned she’d been accepted into the master’s program during her birthday week last February. When she showed up to a spring practice shortly after, some teammates connected the dots.
“I think Katie Galligan was the first person to realize why I was there,” Heliste said. “She was like, ‘Oh my gosh, you got it.’ It was just so great.”
As a graduate assistant, Heliste’s responsibilities range from administrative duties like helping Match Club donors, to making sure things are set up for practices and before games, to in-game tasks such as tracking stats and analyzing performance.
She also runs an occasional practice for the non-traveling players. Recently, she started charting the setters’ quality of sets to the middle — something assigned by head coach Chris Lamb.
Her behind-the-scenes contributions haven’t gone unnoticed. Lamb sees the same work ethic and attention to detail that defined her as a player.
“She’s an A-plus person and worker,” Lamb said. “She sort of knows that language, so it’s not hard for her to break down our stats or do odds and ends kind of things that help the staff in crazy ways.”
Heliste wasn’t a top recruit when she joined the Shockers, but Lamb said she steadily climbed the skill ladder. By her senior season, she was Wichita State’s primary libero and a leader on and off the court. She played pivotal roles on teams that won the National Invitational Volleyball Championship in 2023 and the American Conference Championship in 2024.
“She waited her turn,” Lamb said. “Got better as a passer, a digger and a server. She was always on the right side of team culture; leadership stuff started coming her way. She eventually would speak up, and people would listen.”
These days, Heliste’s voice carries a different kind of weight. Not as a player, but as a mentor. Galligan, a senior defensive specialist, said that Heliste has been able to provide an outside perspective, which the team may not get from anyone other than a former player.
“When you’re in the game, and you’re repping things out constantly, constantly, constantly, sometimes the little things can slip away,” Galligan said. “Or when it gets tiring, the mental side sometimes is the first thing to go. She’s been able to home in on stuff like that, or just give her perspective on what she would have done or what she thinks we should adjust.”
Heliste has been able to meld her two practices as well. On top of duties as a coach, she brings a thoughtful, supportive approach to both Wichita State’s players and clients she sees — one that emphasizes encouragement and growth.
“She’s done a great job with that,” Galligan said. “Keeping it very positive, being like, ‘Oh, you did this great, but let’s fix this,’ or ‘Let’s adjust this.’ I like that kind of coaching style.”
As for what’s next, Heliste plans to build a career in speech-language pathology before considering a deeper dive into coaching. But whether she’s in a clinic or on the court, one thing’s clear: she’s found her calling in helping others grow.
