Grizzly volleyball enters 2005 with growing expectations
8/9/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
The University of Montana volleyball team opens its 2005 season this week when the Grizzlies report for the opening of preseason camp. The first day of practice will be Friday, Aug. 12, with two practice sessions: 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Montana went 8-17 last year, tying for sixth in the Big Sky Conference with a 4-10 mark. The Grizzlies return five starters, plus last year's full-time libero, to a team that won five of its last eight matches to close the 2004 season.
Returning starters include seniors Audrey Jensen and Diana Thompson, juniors Claudia Houle and EvaLyn Whitehead and sophomore Jessica Petersen. Sophomore libero Jackie White returns as well after seeing action in all 100 games last year.
Houle, who led Montana with 4.34 kills per game in her first year as a Grizzly, was named the Big Sky Conference's Top Newcomer and was voted to the All-BSC second team.
Montana opens its 2005 season at Orono, Maine, Friday, Aug. 26, and Saturday, Aug. 27, where the Grizzlies will face Fairfield, Rhode Island and Maine at the Black Bears' tournament.
The league's coaches picked Montana for fifth in their preseason poll that was released last week. The Grizzlies trailed Sacramento State, Eastern Washington, Montana State and Portland State in the poll.
Montana's Early-Season Practice Schedule
Wednesday, Aug. 10...Players report
Thursday, Aug. 11...Meetings/equipment
Friday, Aug. 12...Practice: 8:30-11:00, 3:30-5:30
Saturday, Aug. 13...Practice: 8:30-11:00, 3:30-5:30
Sunday, Aug. 14...Practice: 2:30-5:00
Monday, Aug. 15...Practice: 8:30-11:00, 2:30-4:00
Tuesday, Aug. 16...Practice: 8:30-11:00, 3:30-5:30
Wednesday, Aug. 17...Practice: 8:30-11:00, 3:30-5:30
Thursday, Aug. 18...Off
2005 Montana Volleyball Outlook
It seemed innocuous enough at the time, Montana's 3-1 win over Idaho State last October. After going winless through the first half of the Big Sky Conference schedule, the Grizzlies rallied from a 1-0 hole to come back for a 3-1 victory over the Bengals.
The win improved Montana to just 4-14 overall and 1-7 in league play, but it was the small step forward for her team that UM coach Nikki Best had been patiently waiting for. She knew her team was better than 4-14, it just needed a kick-start to get it rolling.
The win over Idaho State proved to be just the spark the Grizzlies needed.
The next night Montana again rallied for victory, coming back from a 2-1 deficit to beat Weber State in five games. It was the Grizzlies' first win streak of the year and their first back-to-back Big Sky Conference victories since 2000.
Momentum was gathering.
A 3-1 loss at Sacramento State followed, but UM represented itself well in defeat. For the season, the Hornets lost just five games total in 14 home matches, including only two in league play.
The positive steps continued at Northern Arizona two nights later, when Montana snapped a 27-match league road losing streak with a five-game victory over the Lumberjacks. UM had now won three of four.
In their final home matches of the season, the Grizzlies showcased their improved play for one of the largest home crowds in years. Against eventual BSC regular-season champion Eastern Washington, Montana fell in five games, a nail-biter that was watched by a season-high 1,009 fans.
Though their postseason-less fate was sealed with the loss to the Eagles, UM closed conference play with a 3-2 victory over Portland State, then followed that up with a four-game defeat of Gonzaga in the regular-season finale.
All told, the Grizzlies ended 2004 with five wins in their last eight matches.
The 2005 Grizzlies return a bulk of the roster that closed last year so successfully, which is why Best is so anxious for practice to begin.
"That stretch (of wins to close the 2004 season) was wonderful to experience as a group," Montana's sixth-year coach said a week prior to the opening of the 2005 season. "It was very telling of what this group is capable of. They really grew into their own as a team.
"It sets them up to want that feeling again, and I think we'll find that feeling earlier in the season this year."
At the heart of Best's expectations is a core of five returning starters, plus last season's full-time libero.
Among those returning starters will be junior outside hitter Claudia Houle, who was named the Big Sky's Top Newcomer in 2004 and voted second team All-BSC after leading Montana with 4.34 kills per game in her first year in a Griz uniform.
Houle, who had 10 matches last year in which she had at least 20 kills, will miss the first two weeks of practice as she wraps up a summer of competing for Canada B, the training squad for the Canadian national team. The Ste. Anne du Sault, Quebec, native will join Montana for the first time in Orono, Maine, site of UM's season-opening tournament.
"I believe Claudia is the best hitter in the conference," Best said without hesitation. "She has a maturity in her play that is just a step above most of the other outside hitters in our conference."
Joining Houle in the starting lineup will be two seniors with 468 games played between them.
Setter Diana Thompson finished fifth in the league in assists in 2004 with 11.05 per game. The San Clemente, Calif., native ranks seventh all-time in career assists and with a comparable season in 2005 would move up to third on the UM career list.
"The thing I like most about Diana is that her decision-making under pressure is unbelievable," Best said. "That's when she's at her best. When the team needs her to step up, she does every time."
Middle blocker Audrey Jensen is a three-year letterwinner and two-year starter. The Minden, Neb., native led the team in blocks last year with 106 and was second in kills with 2.77 per game. She has a career hitting percentage of .261, which would rank third on the Montana career list (she is 250 attempts shy of having enough attacks to qualify).
"Audrey is probably one of our most experienced starters, and she is a winner," Best said. "She wants to win matches, and that helps to drive and push her. We'll count on her for a lot of leadership this year."
The other two returning starters are both 6-3 middle blockers.
Junior EvaLyn Whitehead saw a diminished role on the team late in the 2004 season due to injury, but the Hyrum, Utah, product still finished third on the team in blocks with 48 and fifth in kills with 120.
"I think this year EvaLyn is going to come into her own," Best said. "I feel strongly that she's ready to become a major player in the conference and that her progress will be the most drastic of the girls you'll see in our program this year."
Sophomore Jessica Petersen started her redshirt freshman season slowly in 2004, but came on strong late in the season. The Helena, Mont., native averaged nearly 10 kills and over four blocks per match over the final seven matches of the conference schedule.
"(Since joining the program), Jessica has developed into a very fine middle," Best said. "She has become confident in her ability, she works extremely hard and I think she's going to have a great year."
In addition to five returning starters, sophomore libero Jackie White is also back. The 5-7 Bellevue, Wash., native averaged a team-high 4.20 digs per game while playing in all 25 matches and all 100 games as a freshman.
"Last year Jackie stepped into a very important role in our program as the libero," Best said, "and she showed our team how to make great effort defensively. You need a libero who's tough as nails, and Jackie is just that."
Two letterwinners from 2004 return in senior outside hitter Ashley Gorham and junior setter Shelley Boyd.
Gorham, a Billings, Mont., native, played in 20 matches in 2004, averaging 0.66 kills and 1.45 digs per game. Boyd, a Missoula, Mont., native who will possibly redshirt in 2005 in order to compete for the starting setter position the following two seasons, played in 19 matches last fall, averaging 1.72 digs per game and totaling 12 service aces.
Montana lost just one player to graduation, Alice Myers. Opting not to return to the program in 2005 were Leah Wissing, who averaged 0.76 kills per game while seeing action in 14 matches in 2004, and Micaela Parker, who led the team with 28 service aces in 2004 and was third with 2.35 kills per game.
Seven newcomers dot the 15-player roster, including six freshmen and junior transfer Emily Sakis.
Sakis, from Palmer, Alaska, played her first two collegiate seasons at Northeastern (Colo.) Junior College. The middle hitter earned NJCAA second team All-America honors in 2004 after leading the Plainswomen to a 37-8 record, averaging 4.81 kills and 1.1 blocks per game while hitting .430.
Among the six freshmen, three come from the state of Montana. Jade Roskam-Purnell is an outside hitter from Helena, Katie Swindall is a setter from Kalispell and Jessica Luckay is a defensive specialist from Bozeman.
Out-of-state freshmen include Shanele Means, a defensive specialist from Gillette, Wyo., Season Reynolds, an outside hitter from Citrus Heights, Calif., and Julie Faulk, a defensive specialist from Vancouver, Wash.
With a blend of experience and fresh faces, Best has high expectations in 2005.
"I think our goals this year are very similar to what they've been in most seasons I've coached," Best said. "These girls are very competitive, and they want to go for a championship. They truly want to compete with the very best teams in the conference. We have a smaller goal of making the conference tournament, but I think if we limit ourselves to just making the tournament, that does not do this group justice."
Q&A with Montana Volleyball Coach Nikki Best
Q: What are the goals for the team this season?
A: I think our goals this year are very similar to what they've been in most seasons I've coached. These girls are very competitive, and they want to go for a championship. They truly want to compete with the very best teams in the conference, and I can see them working very hard to put themselves in position to compete for a conference championship this year.
We have a smaller goal of making the conference tournament, but I think if we limit ourselves to just making the tournament that does not do this group justice.
Q: What are the requirements for this team to meet those goals?
A: First and foremost we need to stay healthy. We have a lot of experience in each of the returning starters, and we have a lot of good talent in the incoming players, so finding the right combination and the right system is one thing, but keeping them healthy so that they are all able to contribute is to me the biggest requirement. If we are able to do that, my feeling is that we'll continue to grow and get better throughout the season, and by the time conference comes around we should be in a good rhythm.
Q: How important was last season's late-season surge?
A: First of all, it was wonderful to experience as a group. It was very telling of what this group is capable of. The girls seemed to gain a step in confidence during that portion of the season. They competed hard, under pressure they were executing and it put us in position to win matches. They really kind of grew into their own as a team. It sets them up to want that feeling again, and I think we'll find that feeling earlier in the season this year.
Q: How do you see the Big Sky Conference shaping up this year?
A: Unfortunately it's extremely strong as always. We play in a very tough league. Year in and year out the teams continue to get better, so although our group may make strides, everyone else is making strides as well.
It's truly critical that you do more than just one thing better than you did last year. You have to do multiple things better than you did the year before.
My hope is that our group, with the maturity and the experience that we're returning, gives us an added step this year. I think you'll see a jump in our placement.
Q: What do you look for in a Montana recruit?
A: We're very choosey. We like to find the very best athlete we can, the very best student, who's a great fit for our program. Usually girls who like challenges and who like to be independent tend to do real well here.
When we're out searching for the right recruit we're looking for physical talent as well as maturity in their personalities. We strive to bring in people that really want to better themselves in all areas of their lives. They have that inner drive. Some great, physically talented young women don't have that inner drive, and so that's what I'm always searching for.
Q: What do you use as Montana's selling points?
A: Obviously the scenic beauty is unmatched. I don't think you can go to another place in this country and find the beautiful scenery and campus and an awesome town in a safe environment. We really feel very lucky to be a part of this great university. That to me is first and foremost.
It's a beautiful place, the academics are outstanding and we feel that we are in one of the very best athletic departments in the northwest. Those are the three big selling points.
The fourth thing we sell is our family atmosphere. Coaching with my husband and with my best friend from college, I truly feel like we try to create a family here so that we can push hard and get down to business with volleyball but also care about each and every one of our players.
Q: What influence did Terry Pettit and the Nebraska program have on you as a future coach?
A: I owe a lot to Coach Pettit. He gave me an opportunity to play in a program that had experienced great success. Being chosen gave me a lot of confidence in my abilities to play the game of volleyball and also to understand how to win matches. Just being a part of something so successful was a great opportunity for me and it gave me that vision of 'I want to share that with other people.' I think ultimately he gave me a chance to get into coaching in the first place.
The second thing Terry did was offer me a coaching. I feel very grateful for that opportunity as well. He put me in charge of recruiting and gave me every single resource I could ever need to be successful. All he told me was to go out and find a national championship team. That was my goal. With such an open-ended list of responsibilities, it ultimately gave me the freedom and confidence to go out and find the very best athletes.
I think if I learned anything from that it was not to put limitations on your staff or your players. Let them decide how good they are going to be. If I put the limit of 'we're just going to make the tournament this year,' then maybe that's all they'll do, even if they are capable of more. I think the lesson there is not to limit people. My hope is that I'm doing that for my program as well.
Q: What is your approach to coaching?
A: I was brought up to understand the game in a technical manner. So physically I understood what it took to be a good passer, what it took to be a good blocker, what it took to be a good setter. Ultimately as a player you need to know those things.
Coaching to me is a completely different look at that. Not only do you have to give your girls the tools to do those technical things, you have to have that bigger picture in mind: where are we going with this team? what is this group capable of?
So I think if I have a philosophy it's that I'm looking at these players as they come into our program and I try to envision what their potential is. I'm looking at them as what are they going to be capable of three years down the road and how best can we as a staff contribute to that growth.
It's my goal to give every player the necessary tools so that I can eliminate myself from the picture so to speak. They might need me when they come in as freshmen, but by the time they're seniors I don't want them to need me as much as they do when they come in. To me that growth pattern is extremely critical in developing a program, so that the seniors end up teaching the freshmen even as much or more than I do. I want this program to be bigger than just me and my voice. I want that voice to be coming from within the team.
Q: What part of coaching do you most enjoy?
A: There are so many things. But I'd have to say the young women in our program. What we've tried to create is a very intimate environment. We do that by communicating very well and getting to know everybody and hopefully putting ourselves in a position of trust so that you can challenge people in hopes of bettering their play.
My favorite part is when you've worked with somebody on something that they've struggled with, and then one day they come to practice or you see it in a match and it worked for them and they turn and they look at you and they smile because you know they got it and they know they got it. No one else in the room even had to know what it was, but they knew. To me that connection, that intimacy between a coach and a player, is pretty special.
Q: What can the Montana volleyball program become?
A: My hope is that it becomes a very consistent and stable program. When we came in (prior to the 2000 season) things were very unstable. My hope is that we as a staff present a consistent message so that the kids know first of all what they are getting into when they come here and then as they gain experience they can grow in confidence because they know what they are going to get as feedback.
We also want to be the top. We want to be the best in the Big Sky. There is no question. Year in and year out, that would be our ultimate goal.
Montana went 8-17 last year, tying for sixth in the Big Sky Conference with a 4-10 mark. The Grizzlies return five starters, plus last year's full-time libero, to a team that won five of its last eight matches to close the 2004 season.
Returning starters include seniors Audrey Jensen and Diana Thompson, juniors Claudia Houle and EvaLyn Whitehead and sophomore Jessica Petersen. Sophomore libero Jackie White returns as well after seeing action in all 100 games last year.
Houle, who led Montana with 4.34 kills per game in her first year as a Grizzly, was named the Big Sky Conference's Top Newcomer and was voted to the All-BSC second team.
Montana opens its 2005 season at Orono, Maine, Friday, Aug. 26, and Saturday, Aug. 27, where the Grizzlies will face Fairfield, Rhode Island and Maine at the Black Bears' tournament.
The league's coaches picked Montana for fifth in their preseason poll that was released last week. The Grizzlies trailed Sacramento State, Eastern Washington, Montana State and Portland State in the poll.
Montana's Early-Season Practice Schedule
Wednesday, Aug. 10...Players report
Thursday, Aug. 11...Meetings/equipment
Friday, Aug. 12...Practice: 8:30-11:00, 3:30-5:30
Saturday, Aug. 13...Practice: 8:30-11:00, 3:30-5:30
Sunday, Aug. 14...Practice: 2:30-5:00
Monday, Aug. 15...Practice: 8:30-11:00, 2:30-4:00
Tuesday, Aug. 16...Practice: 8:30-11:00, 3:30-5:30
Wednesday, Aug. 17...Practice: 8:30-11:00, 3:30-5:30
Thursday, Aug. 18...Off
2005 Montana Volleyball Outlook
It seemed innocuous enough at the time, Montana's 3-1 win over Idaho State last October. After going winless through the first half of the Big Sky Conference schedule, the Grizzlies rallied from a 1-0 hole to come back for a 3-1 victory over the Bengals.
The win improved Montana to just 4-14 overall and 1-7 in league play, but it was the small step forward for her team that UM coach Nikki Best had been patiently waiting for. She knew her team was better than 4-14, it just needed a kick-start to get it rolling.
The win over Idaho State proved to be just the spark the Grizzlies needed.
The next night Montana again rallied for victory, coming back from a 2-1 deficit to beat Weber State in five games. It was the Grizzlies' first win streak of the year and their first back-to-back Big Sky Conference victories since 2000.
Momentum was gathering.
A 3-1 loss at Sacramento State followed, but UM represented itself well in defeat. For the season, the Hornets lost just five games total in 14 home matches, including only two in league play.
The positive steps continued at Northern Arizona two nights later, when Montana snapped a 27-match league road losing streak with a five-game victory over the Lumberjacks. UM had now won three of four.
In their final home matches of the season, the Grizzlies showcased their improved play for one of the largest home crowds in years. Against eventual BSC regular-season champion Eastern Washington, Montana fell in five games, a nail-biter that was watched by a season-high 1,009 fans.
Though their postseason-less fate was sealed with the loss to the Eagles, UM closed conference play with a 3-2 victory over Portland State, then followed that up with a four-game defeat of Gonzaga in the regular-season finale.
All told, the Grizzlies ended 2004 with five wins in their last eight matches.
The 2005 Grizzlies return a bulk of the roster that closed last year so successfully, which is why Best is so anxious for practice to begin.
"That stretch (of wins to close the 2004 season) was wonderful to experience as a group," Montana's sixth-year coach said a week prior to the opening of the 2005 season. "It was very telling of what this group is capable of. They really grew into their own as a team.
"It sets them up to want that feeling again, and I think we'll find that feeling earlier in the season this year."
At the heart of Best's expectations is a core of five returning starters, plus last season's full-time libero.
Among those returning starters will be junior outside hitter Claudia Houle, who was named the Big Sky's Top Newcomer in 2004 and voted second team All-BSC after leading Montana with 4.34 kills per game in her first year in a Griz uniform.
Houle, who had 10 matches last year in which she had at least 20 kills, will miss the first two weeks of practice as she wraps up a summer of competing for Canada B, the training squad for the Canadian national team. The Ste. Anne du Sault, Quebec, native will join Montana for the first time in Orono, Maine, site of UM's season-opening tournament.
"I believe Claudia is the best hitter in the conference," Best said without hesitation. "She has a maturity in her play that is just a step above most of the other outside hitters in our conference."
Joining Houle in the starting lineup will be two seniors with 468 games played between them.
Setter Diana Thompson finished fifth in the league in assists in 2004 with 11.05 per game. The San Clemente, Calif., native ranks seventh all-time in career assists and with a comparable season in 2005 would move up to third on the UM career list.
"The thing I like most about Diana is that her decision-making under pressure is unbelievable," Best said. "That's when she's at her best. When the team needs her to step up, she does every time."
Middle blocker Audrey Jensen is a three-year letterwinner and two-year starter. The Minden, Neb., native led the team in blocks last year with 106 and was second in kills with 2.77 per game. She has a career hitting percentage of .261, which would rank third on the Montana career list (she is 250 attempts shy of having enough attacks to qualify).
"Audrey is probably one of our most experienced starters, and she is a winner," Best said. "She wants to win matches, and that helps to drive and push her. We'll count on her for a lot of leadership this year."
The other two returning starters are both 6-3 middle blockers.
Junior EvaLyn Whitehead saw a diminished role on the team late in the 2004 season due to injury, but the Hyrum, Utah, product still finished third on the team in blocks with 48 and fifth in kills with 120.
"I think this year EvaLyn is going to come into her own," Best said. "I feel strongly that she's ready to become a major player in the conference and that her progress will be the most drastic of the girls you'll see in our program this year."
Sophomore Jessica Petersen started her redshirt freshman season slowly in 2004, but came on strong late in the season. The Helena, Mont., native averaged nearly 10 kills and over four blocks per match over the final seven matches of the conference schedule.
"(Since joining the program), Jessica has developed into a very fine middle," Best said. "She has become confident in her ability, she works extremely hard and I think she's going to have a great year."
In addition to five returning starters, sophomore libero Jackie White is also back. The 5-7 Bellevue, Wash., native averaged a team-high 4.20 digs per game while playing in all 25 matches and all 100 games as a freshman.
"Last year Jackie stepped into a very important role in our program as the libero," Best said, "and she showed our team how to make great effort defensively. You need a libero who's tough as nails, and Jackie is just that."
Two letterwinners from 2004 return in senior outside hitter Ashley Gorham and junior setter Shelley Boyd.
Gorham, a Billings, Mont., native, played in 20 matches in 2004, averaging 0.66 kills and 1.45 digs per game. Boyd, a Missoula, Mont., native who will possibly redshirt in 2005 in order to compete for the starting setter position the following two seasons, played in 19 matches last fall, averaging 1.72 digs per game and totaling 12 service aces.
Montana lost just one player to graduation, Alice Myers. Opting not to return to the program in 2005 were Leah Wissing, who averaged 0.76 kills per game while seeing action in 14 matches in 2004, and Micaela Parker, who led the team with 28 service aces in 2004 and was third with 2.35 kills per game.
Seven newcomers dot the 15-player roster, including six freshmen and junior transfer Emily Sakis.
Sakis, from Palmer, Alaska, played her first two collegiate seasons at Northeastern (Colo.) Junior College. The middle hitter earned NJCAA second team All-America honors in 2004 after leading the Plainswomen to a 37-8 record, averaging 4.81 kills and 1.1 blocks per game while hitting .430.
Among the six freshmen, three come from the state of Montana. Jade Roskam-Purnell is an outside hitter from Helena, Katie Swindall is a setter from Kalispell and Jessica Luckay is a defensive specialist from Bozeman.
Out-of-state freshmen include Shanele Means, a defensive specialist from Gillette, Wyo., Season Reynolds, an outside hitter from Citrus Heights, Calif., and Julie Faulk, a defensive specialist from Vancouver, Wash.
With a blend of experience and fresh faces, Best has high expectations in 2005.
"I think our goals this year are very similar to what they've been in most seasons I've coached," Best said. "These girls are very competitive, and they want to go for a championship. They truly want to compete with the very best teams in the conference. We have a smaller goal of making the conference tournament, but I think if we limit ourselves to just making the tournament, that does not do this group justice."
Q&A with Montana Volleyball Coach Nikki Best
Q: What are the goals for the team this season?
A: I think our goals this year are very similar to what they've been in most seasons I've coached. These girls are very competitive, and they want to go for a championship. They truly want to compete with the very best teams in the conference, and I can see them working very hard to put themselves in position to compete for a conference championship this year.
We have a smaller goal of making the conference tournament, but I think if we limit ourselves to just making the tournament that does not do this group justice.
Q: What are the requirements for this team to meet those goals?
A: First and foremost we need to stay healthy. We have a lot of experience in each of the returning starters, and we have a lot of good talent in the incoming players, so finding the right combination and the right system is one thing, but keeping them healthy so that they are all able to contribute is to me the biggest requirement. If we are able to do that, my feeling is that we'll continue to grow and get better throughout the season, and by the time conference comes around we should be in a good rhythm.
Q: How important was last season's late-season surge?
A: First of all, it was wonderful to experience as a group. It was very telling of what this group is capable of. The girls seemed to gain a step in confidence during that portion of the season. They competed hard, under pressure they were executing and it put us in position to win matches. They really kind of grew into their own as a team. It sets them up to want that feeling again, and I think we'll find that feeling earlier in the season this year.
Q: How do you see the Big Sky Conference shaping up this year?
A: Unfortunately it's extremely strong as always. We play in a very tough league. Year in and year out the teams continue to get better, so although our group may make strides, everyone else is making strides as well.
It's truly critical that you do more than just one thing better than you did last year. You have to do multiple things better than you did the year before.
My hope is that our group, with the maturity and the experience that we're returning, gives us an added step this year. I think you'll see a jump in our placement.
Q: What do you look for in a Montana recruit?
A: We're very choosey. We like to find the very best athlete we can, the very best student, who's a great fit for our program. Usually girls who like challenges and who like to be independent tend to do real well here.
When we're out searching for the right recruit we're looking for physical talent as well as maturity in their personalities. We strive to bring in people that really want to better themselves in all areas of their lives. They have that inner drive. Some great, physically talented young women don't have that inner drive, and so that's what I'm always searching for.
Q: What do you use as Montana's selling points?
A: Obviously the scenic beauty is unmatched. I don't think you can go to another place in this country and find the beautiful scenery and campus and an awesome town in a safe environment. We really feel very lucky to be a part of this great university. That to me is first and foremost.
It's a beautiful place, the academics are outstanding and we feel that we are in one of the very best athletic departments in the northwest. Those are the three big selling points.
The fourth thing we sell is our family atmosphere. Coaching with my husband and with my best friend from college, I truly feel like we try to create a family here so that we can push hard and get down to business with volleyball but also care about each and every one of our players.
Q: What influence did Terry Pettit and the Nebraska program have on you as a future coach?
A: I owe a lot to Coach Pettit. He gave me an opportunity to play in a program that had experienced great success. Being chosen gave me a lot of confidence in my abilities to play the game of volleyball and also to understand how to win matches. Just being a part of something so successful was a great opportunity for me and it gave me that vision of 'I want to share that with other people.' I think ultimately he gave me a chance to get into coaching in the first place.
The second thing Terry did was offer me a coaching. I feel very grateful for that opportunity as well. He put me in charge of recruiting and gave me every single resource I could ever need to be successful. All he told me was to go out and find a national championship team. That was my goal. With such an open-ended list of responsibilities, it ultimately gave me the freedom and confidence to go out and find the very best athletes.
I think if I learned anything from that it was not to put limitations on your staff or your players. Let them decide how good they are going to be. If I put the limit of 'we're just going to make the tournament this year,' then maybe that's all they'll do, even if they are capable of more. I think the lesson there is not to limit people. My hope is that I'm doing that for my program as well.
Q: What is your approach to coaching?
A: I was brought up to understand the game in a technical manner. So physically I understood what it took to be a good passer, what it took to be a good blocker, what it took to be a good setter. Ultimately as a player you need to know those things.
Coaching to me is a completely different look at that. Not only do you have to give your girls the tools to do those technical things, you have to have that bigger picture in mind: where are we going with this team? what is this group capable of?
So I think if I have a philosophy it's that I'm looking at these players as they come into our program and I try to envision what their potential is. I'm looking at them as what are they going to be capable of three years down the road and how best can we as a staff contribute to that growth.
It's my goal to give every player the necessary tools so that I can eliminate myself from the picture so to speak. They might need me when they come in as freshmen, but by the time they're seniors I don't want them to need me as much as they do when they come in. To me that growth pattern is extremely critical in developing a program, so that the seniors end up teaching the freshmen even as much or more than I do. I want this program to be bigger than just me and my voice. I want that voice to be coming from within the team.
Q: What part of coaching do you most enjoy?
A: There are so many things. But I'd have to say the young women in our program. What we've tried to create is a very intimate environment. We do that by communicating very well and getting to know everybody and hopefully putting ourselves in a position of trust so that you can challenge people in hopes of bettering their play.
My favorite part is when you've worked with somebody on something that they've struggled with, and then one day they come to practice or you see it in a match and it worked for them and they turn and they look at you and they smile because you know they got it and they know they got it. No one else in the room even had to know what it was, but they knew. To me that connection, that intimacy between a coach and a player, is pretty special.
Q: What can the Montana volleyball program become?
A: My hope is that it becomes a very consistent and stable program. When we came in (prior to the 2000 season) things were very unstable. My hope is that we as a staff present a consistent message so that the kids know first of all what they are getting into when they come here and then as they gain experience they can grow in confidence because they know what they are going to get as feedback.
We also want to be the top. We want to be the best in the Big Sky. There is no question. Year in and year out, that would be our ultimate goal.
National Girls and Women in Sports Day 2026
Monday, March 30
Student-Athlete Spotlight: Maddie Pyles (Griz Volleyball)
Thursday, January 15
Griz Volleyball: Name The Person
Tuesday, December 30
Griz Volleyball: Name The Object
Tuesday, December 30
