Q: You have coached Pepperdine volleyball for more than 25 years; how would you describe your experience?
A: I came here at 29 years old; I just had a baby, so I had a six-month-old son and I was playing pro volleyball at that time in the beach and took this job. Pepperdine has been really supportive for women’s volleyball; I have grown up here, I mean, my coaching life, my coaching style. I have learned a lot about being a mom and being a coach. I have been dealing with kids from all generations now. It’s been 30 years of my life. Pepperdine has been a good backbone for me now and has always been supportive of all my endeavors. I can never quantify what it meant to me.
Q: What was the most exciting event of your volleyball career?
A: As you get older, you don’t remember specific events. There were times of my life that were the periods of change and that meant something to me. Maybe one of the biggest events was making the Pan American games as a senior in high school. I was on the USA team, and I played in Cali, Columbia. That was my first big USA trip. I was young and I think that was a milestone. Winning the national championships at UCLA also seemed so big at the time, now that seems so far away, kind of not unimportant but there is so much in between that is not so much about me. I think one of the most important events for me is graduation; I see all of my kids graduate and that’s probably the most meaningful besides having my children and my grandchild too.
Q: What inspired you to help start the sand volleyball team?
A: I was raised on the beach in California, and started playing beach volleyball before I started playing indoors, just because of where we lived. I never really thought that it was going to be a collegiate sport. I couldn’t see how it fit in. There are a lot of people who made it happen. There is the American Volleyball Coach Association, they are the ones who kind of push things through. Once we had an idea in its embryonic stages, I talked to John Watson and Dr. Benton. We wanted to be involved in it at the beginning stages, be a leader in it. We have the personnel to do it and the location too. With the support of Pepperdine, it actually happened.
Q: Are other schools beginning to develop their own sand volleyball teams?
A: Yes, last year we had 18 teams. This year, I think we have eight more. You had to put it through NCAA and plan which sport you are sponsoring.
We should have 8 to 10 more before the season starts in January, so we can possibly have 32 teams which is incredible. It would be the fastest growing sport ever to start. We need 40 teams in it to be an NCAA sport. We should have it by 2014.
Q: What makes your coaching style different from other NCAA coaches?
A: We all develop our styles and our personalities through life: experience, coaches and players.
That’s how I developed my style. I love what I do. I think I have played in all the arenas as a female coach and athlete and I think I have that perspective. I have great assistant coaches. I tried to bring in good people who are adding different perspectives and different backgrounds so all our styles kind of meshed together. It is developed over the years.
Q: What are effective coaching tips for training the winning teams?
A: I believe that hard work is one of them. You have to train effectively, you have to practice every day like you are playing a match. And this is a hard skill to learn. It’s not the quantity, it’s quality. Every time you touch the ball needs to be perfect, you need to be striving to make things perfect. That’s what makes a good athlete: a combination of athletic tone, brain and focus.
Q: Speaking about this season, what are your expectations and plans?
A: Last year, we finished No. 8 in the league and we ranked No. 6 in the country. I know that is a very lofty goal, but we aim to win the conference. Once we do that, we will dictate that we make the NCAA Tournament and we are not on someone else’s terms. Our conference is really important. The past few matches have been very tough, played in a tough envoronment. Our goal is to get out of this pre-conference, gain confidence, find a team that can finish up in December strong.
