The volleyball team coaching staff was revamped over the off-season. The team got three new coaches. Courtney Long is taking over the role of the head varsity coach while Bob Baber and Gabby Dunlap are the assistant coaches.
The 2022-2023 team fell short of their aspirations, winning only one game. Athletic Director Brian Strong is hoping to bring the team into a new beginning with Long and the rest of the new staff. With Long as the new head coach, the team has already blown the number of wins they achieved last season out of the water. The volleyball team is off to a 6-9 start this season. They are 1-3 in the NCC as of right now. She has set a new standard this year and is trying to bring a winning attitude to a volleyball team that was struggling.
Strong had many reasons to recruit new coaches.
“Coach Courtney Long was a phenomenal collegiate player at IUK,” Strong said. “If you look at the IUK record book, you will see her maiden name plastered all over it. So, she had volleyball credibility. She also has had successful coaching stints in both the high school ranks and with travel volleyball. Those experiences prepared her quite well to be the leader of our Berries volleyball program.”
The players have adjusted well to the new coaching staff.
“Having a brand new coaching staff has been a change but in all the right ways,” junior Emilia Rozzi said. “The new coaches have been around different teams whether it’s coaching or playing, and they know what they’re doing.”
The team was very welcoming to the new coaching staff, and they could tell the coaches cared about them. Junior Madeline Anderson expressed the willingness and support that her teammates have noticed from their coaches this year.
“Coach Courtney has a son, she works at Woodbridge, and she’s married,” Anderson said. “Coach Gabby is a recruiter for the National Guard at multiple schools in Cass County, and she owns her own dog breeding business. This shows that even though they have really busy lives they are willing to put in the time and effort to continue to grow and improve our program.”
The team’s next game is on Sept. 18 against Twin Lakes, while their next conference game will take place on Sept. 21 against the McCutchen Mavericks.
