Bailey Schafbuch | Sports Co-Editor
Courtney VanHaaften | Sports Assistant Editor

The Buena Vista University (BVU) volleyball team is looking for a fresh start by bringing in two new coaches: Head Coach Lori Slight, with 16 previous years of experience, and Assistant Coach Micah Rhodes who previously worked with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln women’s volleyball team.

When asked why BVU would be a good fit for them, each coach had a different reason for coming, but the central theme for both of them was their passion for the game of volleyball. Coach Slight decided to take the position because she wanted to start a new tradition.

“It was an easy decision for me. I never thought when I graduated from Buena Vista that someday I would be back as head coach, but when the opportunity presented itself, it really felt like it was the right time and place to be back home,” Slight said.

Her experience from coaching successfully at every level gives Slight the advantage when it comes to strategy, techniques, and basic fundamentals of the game.

In addition to Slight’s knowledge, a fresh perspective from Rhodes’ experiences working closely with the Huskers is a great building block for the program.

“I fell in love with the campus and what Coach Slight’s philosophies were. I thought they were pretty consistent with what I think the game of volleyball should be like,” Rhodes said.

Their complementary histories are not the only thing this coaching team has in their favor. A common belief between the two coaches is that the players have to buy into what the coaches tell them. The players need to know that there is a reason and purpose for everything they do.

“It takes a team that’s willing to give up themselves for each other and a coach that is willing to admit he or she needs their team in order to be successful,” Slight said.