Nothing worth attaining ever comes without a little adversity. That’s a lesson the Kent State volleyball team learned in 2009.
The Golden Flashes came slow out of the gate in ‘09, dropping their first seven matches. The squad’s toughness was put to the test, and KSU responded by winning 14 of its final 24 regular season matches -- including an 11-4 midseason stretch -- to finish third in the Mid-American Conference East Division and earn the right to host a MAC Tournament First Round match. Along the way, Kent State won the Raider Challenge hosted by Wright State and successfully defended its home turf in the Kent State/Mizuno Open for two tournament championships on the year.
“The thing that hurt us last year was that we had some adversity coming out of training camp,” said head coach Glen Conley. “We need to be able to handle adversity better. Every team will go through adversity . We’re not hoping that it happens, but we need to be prepared for it. With an older group, we should be able to do that.”
The Flashes welcome back 10 letterwinners and four starters, plus the libero/defensive specialist. The squad will not only enjoy continuity with their teammates, they’ll benefit from it on the sidelines, too. Conley enters his fourth season as the KSU mentor, compiling a record of 49-45 (21-27 MAC) during his tenure with the Flashes and owning an overall career mark of 400-227 in 20 years of coaching collegiate volleyball. Conley is joined by fifth-year assistant coach Tarah Dickerson and third-year student assistant coaches Heather Dixon and Danny Doherty. The program also added former Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School head coach Rob Cline, who led the Bees to conference, sectional, district and Ohio regional titles in three seasons, to the fold for 2010.
“It’s great to have that continuity and confidence in your staff,” said Conley. “We’re very excited to have Rob. He’s an excellent coach who knows how to win and has certainly done that at a high level of high school volleyball.”
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The Golden Flashes came slow out of the gate in ‘09, dropping their first seven matches. The squad’s toughness was put to the test, and KSU responded by winning 14 of its final 24 regular season matches -- including an 11-4 midseason stretch -- to finish third in the Mid-American Conference East Division and earn the right to host a MAC Tournament First Round match. Along the way, Kent State won the Raider Challenge hosted by Wright State and successfully defended its home turf in the Kent State/Mizuno Open for two tournament championships on the year.
“The thing that hurt us last year was that we had some adversity coming out of training camp,” said head coach Glen Conley. “We need to be able to handle adversity better. Every team will go through adversity . We’re not hoping that it happens, but we need to be prepared for it. With an older group, we should be able to do that.”
The Flashes welcome back 10 letterwinners and four starters, plus the libero/defensive specialist. The squad will not only enjoy continuity with their teammates, they’ll benefit from it on the sidelines, too. Conley enters his fourth season as the KSU mentor, compiling a record of 49-45 (21-27 MAC) during his tenure with the Flashes and owning an overall career mark of 400-227 in 20 years of coaching collegiate volleyball. Conley is joined by fifth-year assistant coach Tarah Dickerson and third-year student assistant coaches Heather Dixon and Danny Doherty. The program also added former Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School head coach Rob Cline, who led the Bees to conference, sectional, district and Ohio regional titles in three seasons, to the fold for 2010.
“It’s great to have that continuity and confidence in your staff,” said Conley. “We’re very excited to have Rob. He’s an excellent coach who knows how to win and has certainly done that at a high level of high school volleyball.”
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