June 3, 2008
The University of Dayton welcomed Kelly Sheffield as the seventh head coach in Flyer volleyball history on March 25, 2008. Now that he has started to become settled in at UD, www.DaytonFlyers.com sat down with Coach Sheffield to ask him a few questions about his thoughts on Flyer volleyball.
Sheffield, a native of Muncie, Ind., came to UD after seven seasons as the head coach at Albany. A two-time America East Conference Coach of the Year, Sheffield led the Great Danes to three trips to the NCAA Tournament including a berth in the second round this past season. Albany won back-to-back Conference Tournament Championships under Sheffield and three titles in his last four years. Albany volleyball won 20 matches or more in four out of five seasons.
Sheffield was also a great developer of talent at Albany as he mentored the first player in NCAA history to win a conference Player of the Year and Setter of the Year award in three consecutive seasons. That talent helped his 2006 squad to become the first team in school history in any sport to host an NCAA Tournament contest when Minnesota, Saint John's and Siena visited Albany for the First and Second Rounds.
Sheffield also made assistant coaching stops at Houston, Virginia and Clemson after beginning his coaching career at Muncie Burris High School, where he was a varsity assistant for a squad that won two state championships and a national championship. He also was an assistant at New Castle High School, as the team achieved a top-10 state ranking in the 1990s.
Tell us a little bit about your background. How did you first become interested in volleyball? How did you get started in coaching? What have been some of your favorite stops along the way?
"I started coaching right out of high school at my alma-mater, Muncie Burris, in Muncie, Indiana. The head coach at Burris is Steve Shondell who was just inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame, and he was assisted by Reece Peacock. I was the eighth Grade coach and would assist with the junior varsity team and the varsity team. I was in on three practices a day, back-to-back-to-back and I absolutely loved it. I would go home and write everything down on a notebook - every drill, what was said, and where shaggers were stationed - everything. I spent three years coaching with Steve and Reece and also coaching alongside with Craig Skinner (now Head Coach at Kentucky) and John Shondell (now Assistant Coach at Purdue). Steve is one of the special coaches in our sport and led the team to two National Championships in the three years that I was there. Around that time I took a Coaching Volleyball class at Ball State under the then head coach and AVCA Hall of Famer Don Shondell. Going in I thought it was going to be this easy class and a lot of goofing off, but it was probably the hardest B- that I ever got, which back then was a pretty good grade for me. At the same time I was coaching club ball at Munciana. They were one of the top two or three club programs at the time. The club directors were Wes Lyon and Dave Shondell (current head coach at Purdue) and I was coaching with some excellent coaches: Jim Craig (one of the great club and high school coaches in our sport), Dave Bayer (assistant at Wisconsin), Kevin Laseau (assistant at Yale), and Dave Pilkington. Looking back, to the dismay of many professors, I certainly did not put the time in to my regular school work that I should have, but I was receiving an Ivy League education in coaching and was fortunate to be surrounded by a lot of excellent teachers in the field of coaching. I coached at Munciana for seven years before I got an opportunity of a lifetime and get into the college game. I had stops at the University of Houston, Virginia, and Clemson and was around three very good, different, and successful head coaches. That is were I learned about recruiting and the college game. In 2001 I got my first college head coaching opportunity at the University at Albany. They had only been at the Division I level for two years and the volleyball team was not very good. But we got some very good recruits to join us early on, received some support from the administration and really got things rolling from there. I've really been fortunate to be able to work alongside the people that I have.
Why Dayton? What made you interested in coming to UD?
"First of all, I was not looking to leave Albany. I thought we had something special that was happening there and had almost everyone returning from a team that had just gotten to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The team was young, but very talented and I was really excited about working with that group. It had to be something absolutely incredible to get me and my wife, Cathy, to leave. When I interviewed at UD, and then came back with Cathy before accepting the job, I was blown away. The University of Dayton is a very prestigious university with a unique and special feel when you walk the grounds. On my visits I felt like the administration had an idea of where the program was at, where they wanted it to go, and that they were willing to support it in the way that is necessary to be a consistent elite program. It was also apparent that we were going to get the help from the staff that was necessary from the marketing and promotions, strength and conditioning, training room, athletics communication, and academic services standpoint - all of the areas that are critical in having long-term success. This is a university that the people that are here love being at. Because of its size, beauty, location, values, support, and volleyball tradition, I thought this would be a place that elite volleyball players would really be interested in."
What are the core values that you build your program around?
"I am probably no different than most coaches or people in management positions. We are fortunate to be able to learn life lessons through playing a game. I like our team to be able to work effectively together and to play for each other. I want a team that is willing to work hard, to bring it, and plays without fear. We try and help players with discipline and time management skills. We also want to be a team that plays with great energy, who has fun, and enjoys playing with one another. I want our players to be independent and I want them to be leaders."
What is your philosophy on recruiting? What does it take to play for Coach Sheffield and succeed at UD?
"First of all, they have to bring some type of talent to the table. We are looking to recruit the best volleyball players in the Midwest or elite athletes that can be trained to be elite volleyball players. I want players who have a love and a passion for the game. People that are willing to put in the work, on their own, that is necessary to compete at the highest level. I'm looking for people that want to bring it every day and see how good they can get. There are also expectations outside of the gym that players must meet. Succeeding in the classroom is an obvious priority and we are going to spend time out in the community. We are striving for an elite and well-rounded experience here. I also prefer to be around people that are generally positive. The road trips are usually a little more enjoyable when you have people with a positive spirit about them than they are when you have a bunch of grinches."
Do you have any expectations for Dayton volleyball in 2008? What are they and how do you intend to achieve them?
"The previous staffs have done a great job of getting the program where it is today. We want to continue that upward climb. I am not going to put a limit or a number or a ranking on things. We are always striving to win the A-10 Championship, and that will always be a focus. But we also want to do things that have never been done here before. Things like making it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, being a consistent Top-25 program, averaging 1500 fans in home attendance - things like that. I think there is a lot of talent on this team. The players are working hard at getting healthy, stronger, becoming better athletes, and being better volleyball players. Most of the team is here for the summer and I think there will be tremendous competition for playing time in the fall. I am certainly looking forward to seeing who comes into preseason ready to go. Every team in the country has a most improved player award for the year. I'll be interested in seeing who tries to win that over the next nine weeks."
What do you know about the Dayton community and its support for Flyer volleyball? How do intend to build upon that?
"The support for this program is very impressive. There is a great volleyball community here and the students have really jumped on the bandwagon. The Red Scare has to be one of the best student groups in the country - very organized and very passionate. We want to make Frericks the absolute toughest gym in the country to play in - and I think it's on its way. We are working hard at getting people in the doors and knowing who we are. We also are going to make sure, as a team and a staff, that we are giving back to the community and university and representing in a way that people are proud of."
What are some of your interests away from volleyball?
"I'm a sports fan. I grew up passionately rooting for the Cincinnati Reds. There's not too many things that sound better than to hear Marty Brennaman say "And this one belongs to the Reds!". I've already made it to a couple of games since I've been here and I'm sure there will be many more. I also follow the Bengals, Colts, and Pacers. So it's definitely nice to be back in the region from that standpoint as well. Most of my time when I am not in the gym, office, or on the road is spent with my wife, Cathy. She's trying to get me to exercise a little more and I'm trying to help her learn to appreciate the great music of the '70's."
