Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Q & A: First-Year Bobcat Volleyball Coach Kyle Weindel Puts the Wraps on His Inaugural Season at MSU.
12/10/2012 3:05:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
First-year coach Kyle Weindel led the Bobcats to one of the best turn-arounds in the nation and back to the Big Sky tournament. He took time to sit down for a quick Q&A session.
Q: Now that you've had time to digest the season, what do you think were the significant changes that made this fall so successful?
KW: I believe that the players finally had the confidence to go into every match and know that they can win. We implemented scouting reports, a new system, new training that I think also attributed to the success.
Q. What were some of your favorite moments of the season?
KW: As I sit back trying to remember my favorites I am reminded that after our first 10 matches we were 7-3, we were able to sweep North Dakota, Weber St., and Eastern Washington. How could I forget beating Montana in Missoula on the last night of Big Sky Conference play, solidifying our place in the conference tournament? I am sure that is the player's favorite moment as well.
Q. What were your biggest adjustments in taking over a head coaching position?
KW: Knowing that every day is going to be different. It has been very hard to get into a routine with all of the different responsibilities I now have, learning all the different personalities that we have on the team and getting them to somehow come together as one unit striving for the same goals.
Q. Heading into the season, did you honestly feel that the team would get to where it finished?
KW: I was confident that we would have more wins than last season. There certainly were some matches we should have won that we let slip away, but overall I am very proud of the team and how they played and competed all season long. There were a few surprises along the way. Beating Belmont at Ohio University (Belmont won the OVC and is going to the NCAA Tournament) was a definite surprise.
Q. Where did you see the most improvement in regards to the team as a whole?
KW: While making some pretty serious changes in how we played, I did see a lot of improvements individually, but as a team I think our defense and transition offense was the biggest surprise. We won a lot of matches because we were able to stop teams from killing it, while killing it. Nicole and Kasey were a big part of that defensive play. The defensive specialist position often gets overlooked, but I consider us very lucky to have both of them.
Q. Coming into the program I'm sure you had a master plan for where you wanted the team to be after year 1, 2, 3 etc. Are you on track for where you want to be at this time?
KW: I think we are a head of the game a little bit – with a good group of freshmen coming in next fall and finally getting 12 months to work with the returners, I expect the bar to be set higher in 2013. We finally have some time to make some changes and fully implement systems and skill development. I am very excited for the future of this program.
Q. What improvements need to happen to move this program into the Big Sky's top four during the off-season?
KW: We have to be more consistent as a program. We had a lot of highs and lows during the season. If we can steady out our play, have a little bit of luck, beat the teams we are “supposed” to while becoming better volleyball players I am confident that we can ultimately be in the top four.
Q. What aspect of the game do you have the most confidence in with this team?
KW: Serving & Passing – we have our core passing group back along with some freshmen who will be very good passers too! Our offense is a close second. With the addition of some new players we will have a very high powered up-tempo style that will continue to develop and evolve.
Q. A lot of 'firsts' happened this year; is the team hungry for even more?
KW: I believe the team is still hungry – they have tasted winning and want to do more of it. I know they will work hard and I know the incoming freshmen will push the returners to get better.
Q. How do you see the 2013 recruiting class fitting into next season?
KW: They all come from very successful high school and club programs. They will come to MSU with a tremendous amount of experience and will push some of the returners for playing time.
Q. What are you excited most about for the 2013 season?
KW: All of the new players – They will each bring a new dynamic personality wise and athletically. I am also excited to work with the returners this offseason to fine tune still and teach them new skills necessary to be successful at this level.
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