CHICAGO — After the NCAA modified the rule permitting volleyball groups to rent a 3rd paid assistant coach, Chris Tamas didn’t should look far for his new workers member.
The Illinois coach’s spouse, Jen (Joines) Tamas, has been a volunteer coach since 2017 and was a pure match to be elevated to full-time standing. She was a four-time All-American at Pacific, performed professionally for eight years and was the captain of the USA nationwide workforce for 4 years. She had additionally served as a volunteer coach throughout Chris’s stints as an assistant coach at Nebraska and Cal Poly.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t a shoo-in. He made her work for it a bit.
“I truly made her undergo the interview course of, simply so . She handed the check tremendously,” Chris Tamas mentioned Wednesday throughout the Huge Ten volleyball media days. “She’s an incredible coach, and she or he was an incredible participant. It’s a kind of issues the place if I blindfold interviewed her, it will be her.”
Colleges across the Huge Ten took a number of approaches to the third assistant coach. Some added former gamers beginning their teaching careers, whereas others elevated volunteer coaches or different off-court workers members to assist with the elevated workload. Everybody agreed that it was a lot wanted and would assist the game.
Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield mentioned he was inspired to see each Huge Ten member decide to assist a bigger workers. There may need been just a little wait-and-see early on, however any apprehension was rapidly eliminated.
“You make the choice that you simply’re both all the best way in making an attempt to compete on the highest stage otherwise you’re going to stint. If you’re not all the best way in and also you’re gonna get left within the mud on this league and on this sport,” he mentioned. “As soon as a few colleges made the choice, we’re undoubtedly going to do that. Each coach is banging on their boss’s door, saying we’ve received to do it. Usually at most of those colleges, the bosses are already eager to run with it as a result of they’re their rivals as effectively.”
Penn State and Nebraska added program legends who’ve simply began their teaching journey. The Huskers added Jordan Larson, who’s working part-time now as she wraps up her nationwide workforce profession, whereas the Nittany Lions tabbed Megan Hodge Simple, a three-time nationwide champion.
PSU senior center blocker Allie Holland mentioned she’s counting the times till she will be able to work with Hodge Simple. She visited the workforce within the spring and left a great impression.
“Simply having one other Penn State icon in our health club goes to be so useful to us,” Holland mentioned. “Having these feminine, robust athletes which have performed at Penn State, one right here with me (coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley) and in addition Megan, goes to be enormous.”
Former Minnesota libero CC McGraw joined the Louisville workers recent off wrapping up her enjoying profession. Her former Golden Gopher teammates had been enthusiastic about her new alternative.
“She’s a tremendous human, tremendous straightforward to speak to. She’s nice with different individuals,” Minnesota setter Melani Shaffmaster mentioned. “She’s in a position to coach as a result of she does perceive how the gamers are understanding loads of the knowledge and what they really have to be doing as a result of she lived it very lately. So I feel teaching is a good match for CC.”
Rutgers added a lately retired males’s volleyball participant as its third assistant. Ryan Mather completed his enjoying season this previous weekend and formally began for the Scarlet Knights on August 1. He was an assistant at Lafayette School final season.
In the meantime, a number of different applications are sliding over individuals already on workers from behind-the-scenes roles onto the bench.
Indiana’s Brett Agne was the director of operations and now has the title of assistant coach and technical coordinator. Maryland is including Kyle Thompson to the teaching workers from his operations function. Thompson is presently with the USA U19 nationwide workforce on the World Championships in Croatia and also will assist with the Terrapins’ softball program.
Wisconsin is shifting over Annemarie Hickey, director of scouting and participant growth, to a training function.
Dave Shondell has had one of the vital steady teaching staffs within the league, as John Shondell and Kathy Jewell have been on the Purdue workers for 19 years. Michael Bouril was elevated from an off-court place because the technical coordinator & efficiency analyst.
Whereas the workers make-up isn’t a big change due to eliminating the volunteer teaching place, Shondell mentioned it’s a great step ahead for the game.
“The distinction is you have got a volunteer coach for about one 12 months, and so they’re gone. They discover a actual paying job,” he mentioned. “It’s good to have some younger individuals in your program that may carry just a little extra power, just a little bit completely different look … I feel it’s nice to have that man that has an precise job, not a volunteer coach or not the analytics man, however he’s on the workers now. I’m actually completely satisfied that we received that coach. I feel it is going to profit loads of applications.”
Right here’s a roundup of what the seven groups who had been within the Huge Ten Community studios needed to say Wednesday:
Rutgers
2022 document, end: 8-24, 2-18 Huge Ten, 14th place
Coach Caitlin Schweihofer (79-121 profession document, 22-53 at Rutgers), sophomore exterior hitter Taylor Humphrey, sophomore exterior hitter Alissa Kinkela
What they mentioned:
“It was wonderful having the ability to journey out to the Olympic coaching middle in Colorado Springs and simply compete on daily basis with among the better of the most effective. It wasn’t unusual if we had been doing a passing drill to have an All-American subsequent to me, and that was simply actually eye-opening and a very thrilling alternative to have the ability to see the extent within the health club and attempt to carry that again to the Rutgers health club and simply elevate our workforce aggression and the way we performed. So it was a very wonderful expertise.”
— Humphrey on being a part of the primary group of Rutgers gamers chosen to a part of the USA Volleyball coaching program
“Once I took this place, I had a really clear imaginative and prescient for the method that it was going to take with the intention to construct this program into one thing that’s sustainably profitable. I fortuitously had the chance to try this with one other establishment, so I used to be snug in that course of. We’re headed into our fourth season, and I feel we’re proper consistent with the place my expectations had been. The key hump that I wish to recover from is we have to be above .500. That’s one thing that’s actually, actually vital for this program.”
— Schweihofer on constructing the tradition at Rutgers
Maryland
2022 document, end: 16-16, 7-13, tied for tenth place
Coach Adam Hughes (71-77 profession document, 71-77 at Maryland), senior setter Sydney Dowler, junior exterior Sam Csire
What they mentioned:
“Scheduling proper now could be a nightmare. I’ll put it at that. The good factor is there’s extra flexibility with the variety of days you’ll be able to play. So that you begin seeing individuals breaking out and enjoying perhaps solely twice a weekend or making an attempt to do some midweeks. For us, we all know we have to do as a lot injury as we are able to within the non-conference slate. So we actually wished to attempt to get to 12 matches and see what wins we are able to put collectively.”
— Hughes on Maryland’s season that features two journeys to Florida
“It was superior simply sightseeing and seeing every thing — it was my first time to Europe usually, so it was fairly the expertise. Then simply seeing the best way that they play volleyball over there, it’s lots completely different. They’ve the next IQ … Then simply the expertise. We went cliff-jumping off of like a 60-foot cliff. I’m not going to neglect that. There’s video, too, so I at all times can re-watch it.”
— Csire on probably the most memorable elements of their workforce journey to Europe this summer season
Penn State
2022 document, end: 26-8, 13-7, fifth place
Coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley (151-154 profession document, 26-8 at Penn State) senior center blocker Allie Holland, fifth-year senior Zoe Weatherington
What they mentioned:
“The truth that it’s on nationwide TV is — if we are able to’t be completely satisfied about that, pushing it a day and messing up some journey plans, then I don’t know what we’re doing. I feel it’s nice. I feel it’s going to be a fantastic place in Tampa, and the truth that we’re going to have the ability to be seen in all places is actually wonderful for the game.”
— Schumacher-Cawley on the NCAA/ESPN choice to maneuver the championship match to Sunday and present it on ABC
“The coaches fill us in with their recruiting and stuff. We’re one massive completely satisfied household, so we at all times discuss who is perhaps the following addition. A variety of us are buddies with one another off the courtroom, and everyone knows one another, so there is perhaps speak, and if we see somebody that we’d — hey, ship just a little textual content, hey, noticed you’re within the portal. The day we discovered that we received all these new transfers was a day of celebration. Our workforce simply retains getting increasingly expertise, and I’m actually excited for the season.”
— Zoe Weatherington on how she realized about all of Penn State’s new additions
Wisconsin
2022 document, end: 28-4, 19-1, fourth straight title
Coach Kelly Sheffield 537-169 total, 264-57 at Wisconsin), graduate setter Izzy Ashburn, senior setter MJ Hammill
What they mentioned:
“Will we be working a 6-2? I don’t sit there and assume one is best than the opposite, or I’m not married to a system. It’s how can we make the most of our skills. I feel for this assortment of gamers this upcoming 12 months, a 6-2 in all probability accentuates that expertise just a little bit extra. We’ll go in considering 6-2 however with the power to go to a 5-1 if we have to.”
— Sheffield on what number of setters will play for Wisconsin this season
“It was such an honor. Kelly referred to as me final week and let me know. Straight away I used to be simply desirous about the expansion that I’ve seen even going into my fifth 12 months right here at Wisconsin, the expansion of TV viewership, the expansion of followers in volleyball, in-person attendance of followers. That was the primary message, simply the expansion of our sport total, it’s been unimaginable, and it’s nonetheless rising.
“Clearly, coming again right here and having our second media day is such a giant step in the correct route. Having extra video games on TV this 12 months than final 12 months. It was simply introduced that it’s 64 now. Being on FOX Sports activities for the primary time. It’s so unimaginable to be part of volleyball and expertise that development. However we simply respect all of it a lot, and we respect the people who put it on and the media shops which can be serving to us out and the gamers voicing how a lot we’d like this. It’s simply been so unimaginable to be part of, and I can’t wait to see the place this goes within the subsequent few years.”
— Izzy Ashburn on being requested to talk on the B1G media-days dinner on Tuesday night time
Minnesota
2022 document, end: 22-9, 15-5, tied for third place
Coach Keegan Prepare dinner (198–56 total, 0-0 at Minnesota), junior exterior hitter Taylor Landfair, senior setter Melani Shaffmaster
What they mentioned:
“We simply discovered yesterday that that was us, so I’ve been desirous about it lots. Each time we see the channel, we’re like, wow, we’re going to be on this. However it’s going to be actually cool. I feel for us, the primary factor to deal with is we’re simply going to be enjoying Wisconsin at Wisconsin and probably not fear about what number of viewers are going to be watching on the similar time as a result of we do have a job to do. So I feel perhaps just a little bit earlier than we’ll be actually, actually excited after we see all of the stuff getting arrange or no matter. I feel after we’ll be like, wow, that was superior, after which we’ll get to go and re-watch it.”
— Shaffmaster on having a match broadcast on Fox following a Vikings-Packers sport
“We speak lots about aspirations versus expectations. It’s one thing that we’re making an attempt to get in place culturally, that aspirations are inside you and so they’re belongings you dream about, expectations are about different individuals. The opposite analogy I’ve been giving individuals these days is it’s type of like scuba diving. You’re down at 100 meters, and there’s 1000’s of kilos of strain round you, however you’re feeling it on all sides; and for some purpose, whenever you’re down there, it simply feels regular. For all of us, it’s gotten to that time the place it feels regular. It’s been an extended descent right down to this deep finish right here of volleyball, and the difficulty is in case you come up too quick, which we don’t plan to do.”
— Prepare dinner on the expectations throughout his first 12 months at Minnesota
Iowa
2022 document, end: 10-21, 4-16, tie for twelfth place
Coach Jim Barnes (465-366, 10-21 at Iowa), senior center blocker Delaney McSweeney, senior setter Bailey Ortega
What they mentioned:
“The Iowa followers are unimaginable. They love the college like no different. I like their assist. Even after we misplaced matches, they got here again and extra followers had been within the stadium the following day simply because they beloved how laborious we performed. The league is the most effective. It’s the highest of the mountain. When you’re teaching, that is the place you wish to be, and also you wish to be the most effective gamers round us.”
— Barnes on what he realized throughout his first 12 months at Iowa
“I actually, actually love our girls’s basketball workforce for the individuals they’re, apart from how wonderful they’re… I’ve gotten the chance to take a seat in on a few their practices. Since I wish to be a coach, I’ve type of sat in with (head coach Lisa) Bluder, Jan (Jensen), Raina (Harmon), the entire wonderful workers they’ve. I like the best way they play for one another. They’re all finest buddies, and so they all actually take pleasure in being round one another. So I feel that’s one thing we are able to proceed to implement and that I feel we do have in our health club.”
— Ortega on what she realized from watching Iowa’s girls’s basketball workforce’s run to the nationwide title sport
Illinois
2022 document, end: 15-15, 10-10, seventh place
Coach Chris Tamas (115-67 total, 115-67 at Illinois), sophomore Brooke Mosher, senior exterior hitter Raina Terry
What they mentioned:
“I inform the workforce on a regular basis, you may be a kind of groups that’s in that boat and nonetheless do very well, and we have now. We’ve made it to a number of tournaments and have executed a lot better than seventh place within the convention. On the finish of the 12 months, I feel that’s what you’re aiming for. You’re making an attempt to make the event and making an attempt to get in. With that mentioned, clearly, we’re not completely satisfied ending seventh place. I instructed the workforce this spring. I mentioned I didn’t signal as much as attempt to come right here and hope to complete seventh place after which do injury within the event. We wish to know that we are able to are available in and place effectively within the convention.”
— Tamas on ending seventh within the Huge Ten for the fourth straight 12 months and making an attempt to recover from the hump
“I’m engaged on my pictures, my pictures sport. I look as much as Michelle Bartsch lots, and I’m making an attempt to embody much more of her sport and making an attempt to discover ways to rating in additional methods than simply counting on my heavy arm.”
— Terry on what areas she might enhance
“She must be nicer to her opponents. No, she doesn’t. Simply kidding.”
— Tamas
“No, that’s not going to occur.”
— Terry
