The following is an interview with head coach Carrie Yerty in which she talks about her staff, her hopes for this year and even how having her first child has made her appreciate things even more.
Q. When you sit down with your players at the beginning of the season, what goals do you plan to set for this year?
A. We want to be in the top four in Conference USA and make a run for the NCAA Tournament. Right now we are nominated to the Academic All-American team and if we make that, then our academic goals will include matching that by each member of our team maintaining above a 3.0 grade point average. In terms of conference championships, we want to be in the top four in the league and head into the C-USA tournament with a record above the .500 mark.
Q. Do you think the C-USA goals that you are setting are realistic? In your first season, the team finished last and you improved on that in the past two seasons, finishing fourth in the National Division. How do you feel about the other teams in the conference as far as their depth and who will contend for the conference championship?
A. We had four coaching changes this year in our conference. Houston, who finished third in the league this year and had a bid to the NCAA Tournament, lost their best right side, their best middle and their setter due to graduation and to transferring. Splitting with Houston last year was a big step for us. South Florida will still be up there because they have the best player in the conference returning, but they also have a new coach this year. When a new coach is hired, there is some team transition that will happen and we look at this as an opportunity to possibly split with them this year. I would say that there will be a group of teams that will include Cincinnati, Memphis, Southern Miss and Saint Louis that will all be about equal. Louisville, will probably be the strongest team in our conference. I would say that Louisville, South Florida and Houston will make a strong run for the conference title. Beyond that, I think there will be a lower group and a middle group and I most certainly see us in that middle group. Last year, we lost in five to Cincinnati and Saint Louis, and I think we have the opportunity to beat them this year. We have a ton of depth. We have eight people back from last year and this will be the first time that we have had such a large group of returnees. Plus, we have Amie Hamilton, who was the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year last season, and she will steer our defensive campaign.
Q. Do you expect big things to come from Amie Hamilton again this year?
A. I certainly think that she will contend as the defensive player of the year again, and I have expectations of her being named an all-conference pick if she continues to develop at the same pace that she has.
Q. You lost a great setter in Jessica Baley to graduation, and you have a redshirt freshman, Jeannie Robison in place to take over as the “quarterback” of this team. What do you see in the future for Jeannie?
A. A lot of what we do will be determined by how Jeannie does and how quickly she adjusts. This spring, she got her first taste of running our team. But, making the transition from a redshirt season to quarterbacking our program could be difficult for her. She is a great leader. She is very vocal and very determined. She has the natural God-given ability to step in and take us to an even higher level than where we were last year. If she can handle it mentally, then we shouldn’t miss a beat.
Q. How well do you think the players will respond to Jeannie this season, going from practically a “sideline” role to a “starring” role?
A. I think the team will miss the leadership that Jessica brought to the team, because Jessica was such a fiery competitor. She was a senior with three years of experience under her belt and I think that the team will miss that. But, I think that they also have a lot of respect for Jeannie’s talent and her work ethic. She has been working extremely hard all summer long and she is in the best shape that I have ever seen her in. She is strong. She has been in the gym and currently leads the team in the strength and conditioning aspect.
Q. Talk a little about each position and what your expectations are for this year.
A. Our middle position is a question mark in terms of not having any returnees in that position, but the physical presence of all three middles that we have coming in is even greater than what we have had in the past. We will miss Jenni Roselli’s personality, but I think in terms of our physical presence, we will be much better. When we set out recruiting this past year, finding strong and aggressive middles was our top priority. Cathy (Casias) will probably develop into one of the best blockers in the conference. She has an extremely high vertical and is very gifted. She will provide depth as a freshman and will have the opportunity to contribute early to this team.
On our right side, we have April (Harriman) and Emily (Eichmann). April will be a junior with two years of experience under her belt, and Emily has probably had the best spring out of anybody on our team in terms of developing her skills. I foresee her also providing depth to that right side.
Q. You mentioned Amie Hamilton earlier as having a chance to make an impact. Who else do you expect to make an impact on this team and why?
A. Again, I would expect Amie to control our serve reception and our defense. I certainly think her jump serve is going to be a major factor. Our team puts a great deal on serving, which is evident in the conference stats. Ginger Garrett will provide a lot of stability at the outside hitter position as well as being a primary passer and a defensive force. Our team nominated Rosie in the spring as a captain and so I foresee her having a lot of leadership opportunities as well as she will establish herself in the conference as one of the top attackers on the outside.
Q. What is the strongest aspect of this team?
A. The best thing about this team is the team chemistry and the intangibles that we bring together as a team. I don’t think that there is another team in this conference that enjoys each other and enjoys the sport and the school they are representing more than our team. They certainly don’t take their opportunities for granted. They work very hard and they are very dedicated to going to the NCAA Tournament.
Q. Is there anything that you think you can attribute such great team chemistry to? Is it something that maybe you have done or is it something that just happened?
A. Our staff philosophy is to recruit the kind of student-athletes that are responsible individuals academically as well as athletically. We are able to get a high caliber of athlete because the environment that we provide is truly a family environment and our players are very comfortable knowing that we are a family. They have all bought into the system in terms of they knew last year was going to be a rebuilding year and they trusted each other. Honestly, it is so weird because last year we did not have one fight on the team. You can get good athletes and you can train them and make them good volleyball players, but we have good people that just happen to be good athletes that have now developed into great volleyball players.
Q. Can you reflect on the direction that you see this program heading now that you are entering your fourth season and you have coached everyone on the floor since they stepped foot on The U of M campus?
A. I think that in the past four or five years, the foundation has been laid for us to get into the NCAA Tournament, not only by elevating us from the bottom of the conference to the middle of our league, but also by helping us recruit the athletes that we have in here right now. The only direction I see us going in is up. I truly believe that we will have an opportunity to contend to go to the NCAA Tournament, if not this year, then next year. I don’t ever see us at the bottom of the conference as long as the athletes that are here continue to work hard and the staff continues to find and train athletes of that caliber.
Q. Aside from the middle position that you described as having somewhat of a question mark, are there any other weaknesses that you expect to focus on in the preseason to have ironed out by the time the conference schedule rolls around?
A. I think that our weakest position could end up being are strongest position, and that is our setting. Jeannie lacks experience, but contributes such a court presence and such consistent court control. I see lots of consistency on the left side and the right side. I certainly see us as a very good ball-control team with Jeannie, Ginger, Rosie and Amie. We’ve always been a good ball control team and a good serving team, but now we have more experience at the net. Our blocking will certainly be a point of focus for us.
Q. What kind of leadership do you expect this year from seniors Amy Vaughn and Rosie Glenn?
A. I think each of them brings leadership in terms of experience. Both of them have started or have played just about every game of every match of their careers. Rosie is more of an emotional leader for us and Amy is more of an organizational leader. I would expect that Amie Hamilton and would lead by example from her work ethic and her skills. Ginger will bring leadership through consistency. What’s great about this team is that every person on our team brings a different aspect of leadership to the court. We won’t have to focus on one person to carry us this year. In the past, we have had to hope that someone will pile every one on their back and run with them. This year, everyone has their own niche and their own role that has been established.
Q. What has been the highlight of your career here at Memphis so far?
A. The student athletes that have been recruited and graduated here make it all worthwhile. The athletes that I get to train are awesome. I love them. It is incredible to see them graduate and to see them reach milestones in their lives that maybe they never thought they could reach.
Q. You recently welcomed a little one into your life. Has having a child changed you in any way as far as your outlook on things?
A. It has certainly helped me to appreciate my staff because I haven’t been able to put in the hours and the time that I have in the past and so I have asked my staff to take on more responsibility and I appreciate what they do. This also goes well beyond my staff and includes the support staff around me including the academic staff, the training staff, the strength and conditioning staff and the media relations staff. For the first time since I’ve been at Memphis, I feel that I have a complete staff. Rob (Thomas) has been the glue to our program. Last year was such a transition year through my pregnancy and he held together our recruiting when I wasn’t allowed to travel. He ran our team in the spring when I couldn’t physically be there. He is a complete recruiter and a dedicated teacher. He brings offensive training to our outside hitters and a unique style of ball control aspects to our program that we haven’t had in the past. I trust him with every aspect of my life and with this program. I truly believe that he is as dedicated to this program as I am. He is willing to put in as many hours as it will take to get this program going. This will be Fiona’s (Bolten) first season, but she will bring experience to the setting position. Her primary role will be to guide Jeannie and to teach Jeannie the mental aspects of the game. I can’t say enough about how fortune I feel to have both of those two on my staff. Lee (Yerty) has been with us for three years and all of the training and conditioning and strength-training focus that he has had is paying off. He has made such an incredible contribution because our kids are strong and they are in shape. I truly believe that there won’t be a team in our conference that will be in better shape than we are in the fall. I cannot say enough about what Diane (Hale) means to this program. She has been my sanity and my foundation. When things have been really good, she has kept me focused and has helped me keep everything in perspective, and when things have gone bad, she has been there to pick me up. She has been my mentor and I feel very fortunate to have her as a member of my staff.
