List of recruits committed to Texas A&M before the resignation

Claire
Jeter
6-3
2020
MB/RS
TX
Ridge Piont
Houston Skyline

Shelby
O'Neal
6-0
2020
OH
TX
Samuel Clemens
Alamo

London
Austin-Roark
6-4
2018
MB
TX
Weherd
Club Texas

Taylor
Voss
5-4
2018
Lib
TX
London
San Antonio Magic

Camryn
Kotlarz
6-4
2018
MB
TX
Goose Creek
Willowbrook

Kaitlyn
Rogers
6-2
2018
Setter
TX
Weherd
Club Texas

Erica
Lowery
5-5
2020
Lib
TX
Langham Creek
Houston Juniors

Sabrina
Sustala
5-5
2019
Lib
TX
Cypress Ranch
Houston Juniors

Mallory
Talbert
6-3
2018
MB/RS
TX
Montgomery
Willowbrook

Lauren
Davis
6-3
2019
OH
FL
Bishop Moore
Top Select

Berkley
Adams
5-8
2018
Lib
TX
Rockwall-Heath
TAV


Not sure how many will make it to campus

as for coaching search, if Woodward had someone specific in mind and it hasnt been released yet maybe they are an assistant for a final four team (Stanford, Penn State, Nebraska or Florida)

If that is the case, and that is a big if...I would say maybe Tyler Hildabrand from nebraska

Weherd = Weatherford

Tyler hildebrand looks to be an excellent choice as head coach. I hope you are right on that account.

You need to add Jenna Wennas (2020) out of Frisco Liberty to this list, I think she plays TAV. She's a wait and see who the new coach is at this point.

I'm inclined to believe the next head coach will be Jonathan Winder from the University of Washington.

Get a top 5 coach and compete for too 10 recruits and championships!

Woodward struck out I heard... you know, 3 strikes and you are out.. but possibly candidate 4 will accept.. this is like the Tennessee football coach search..

Pioneer said:

---

Woodward struck out I heard... you know, 3 strikes and you are out.. but possibly candidate 4 will accept.. this is like the Tennessee football coach search..

---

I sense Woodward will have to money-whip a top coach/assistant to take over a program that requires major re-building.

I think we have hired.

And this is no where near a major rebuilding

How long before they announce it would you think? Tourney is now over and the recruits won't wait forever.

I'm hearing ku asst... top 3 choices turned down the job..

Need a vball only arena like tu...

KU does have 6 girls from Texas and 1 from breaux bridge La on their roster. They have only 3 girls from Kansas. So someone up there is recruiting the heck out of this state and Louisiana. I think a volleyball only facility is on the drawing board. Saw it on a west campus master plan on another thread.

She will do well I think but still underwhelmed by the hire. I thought releasing a coach who has been here for 25 years, two years removed from top 10 seed and SEC championship you would already have someone in place. But at least three turned down the job. THREE. what does that say about facilities ?
Kansas lost in the first round to Missouri but with a lot of jobs rumored to become open like USC just did maybe the coaches wanted to see the carousel effect

I will hope this works but it makes no sense to let a coach go without a plan in place after an injury filled season and end up with a hire that isn't earth shattering.

That said she is an up and comer with recruiting ties to Texas
We will see how it goes.

Maybe what does that say about the state of volleyball in Texas? It also says something about the lack of quality in our recruiting the last few years, when out of state schools make the ncaa's with a number of Texas girls on their rosters. It's obvious a change needed to be made.

How do you recruit players that can't pass the ball? That to me is fundamental in the sport of volleyball and the A&M team struggled with it all year long. The corebellis are another set of coaches that have stayed too long and lost their edge. It was time for a change and had to be made.

It doesn't bother me that their top 3 turned the job down. May have been the money, may have been extenuating circumstances, maybe they were west coast people that wanted to stay out west or to go back out west if a job opened up. This fact alone makes you wonder if it was more of a retirement than a firing because no viable candidate was in place.

Most likely it says a lot about the state of the program at A&M which never could fight its way out of a wet paper bag on a national level. I certainly wouldn't want someone who is afraid of the job, only taking the salary
while looking for a job at a better program and moving in a couple of years.

When someone in Kansas is recruiting better Texas volleyballers than what we are getting here, then it was time. Plus it makes you wonder if you can get anywhere in the ncaas with only state recruits. Baylor and tu both had a number of girls from out of state.

It was not a retirement.

That said Aggies moaned years ago when Corbelli was recruiting west coast kids and winning that we needed more Texas kids. We have some stellar athletes come out of Texas but the art of passing has been left to specialization in some respects

Teams need a 6 rotation OH who can pass nails and hit out of system. Last year we didn't have that at all coupled with a number of freshman playing key positions due to injuries.
I was disappointed in the window that the coach was let go but understood if we had a capable replacement already in place. We obviously didn't. We got a solid recruiter (including Texas) who as an assistant lost in the first round of the NCAA tourney to an SEC team after finishing 5th in the Big 12.
I will be on board and be fully invested in the new direction. I just don't think the process played out well and time will tell on how we do.
I will following the recruits we have listed above during club season to see how they measure up compared to current roster and or if we recruit different players

I agree with the comments on this thread that it would have been imprudent to fire LC without having a successor in-hand. I don't think it is unreasonable to speculate that the AD had an agreement with an impressive HC/assistant and it fell apart, likely due to a better offer being received (more speculation).

Having to settle for a fourth, or lower, choice approaches desperation, IMO, and the shadow that casts on the program will not be helpful. The facility, recent poor performance, and in-state recruiting issues are legitimate and weighty concerns for any new coach. Perhaps the collective "baggage" was too much for the newcomer to carry.

If the unconfirmed hiring report is true, we should support the program and hope that magic happens. The program is down but not out.

We were annually a fringe top 25 team with a solid program

That said we were never able to get the huge recruiting classes that the top 10 teams and of those Texas in particular were able to get. They did more with less. The reason why it was less is the question of the day. Facilities had a lot to do with it. The fact the libero position hasn't been a scholarship given position vs a scholarship earned position may have something to do with our inability to pass the past couple of years. If anyone watched the elite 8 down to final match of the NCAA tourney. Passing it at a huge premium along with out of system play. We didn't pass near well enough this year and we aren't that great OOS with freshman setter and one outside that needs the ball in front of her rather than behind to better see the block.
The new coach will have great ties to the top club program in Texas but this is an underwhelming hire. The word is we whiffed even on a money whip on coaches we desired. That has to do with facilities first and foremost.
End result is we have a coach without head coaching experience but solid recruiter. Will see if it pans out

Of note the three Texas girls on kansas' roster were selected big 12 all conference team and all three were selected AVCA all-Americans. So the coach that recruited them must have a pretty good eye for talent.

we have a 6 rotation oh,{ that a lot of other top programs offered} and can play and be damn good if didn't "have" to hit out of system 75% of the time. she also happens to be the most consistent passer . most teams stopped serving her in preference to serving our libero and def. specialists. this is the ultimate team sport and not one player can win a game for you, but one girl not doing her job can certainly lose the game. inuries {i.e..lack of proper training and warmup and cool down} and lack of depth{i.e. recruiting year in and out all positions} has been major issues. but it all starts in the practice gym , pregame warmups, strength and conditioning. way behind the curve in all areas. if this coach is as good as advertised in teaching technique, and makes some changes in our training program you will see a very competitive team next year. she appears to be a good recruiter also so combine that and I'm excited for the future.

Artimus Gordon said:

---

Of note the three Texas girls on kansas' roster were selected big 12 all conference team and all three were selected AVCA all-Americans. So the coach that recruited them must have a pretty good eye for talent.

---

So did we in Blake Babers and Aiple

easymoney said:

---

we have a 6 rotation oh,{ that a lot of other top programs offered} and can play and be damn good if didn't "have" to hit out of system 75% of the time. she also happens to be the most consistent passer . most teams stopped serving her in preference to serving our libero and def. specialists. this is the ultimate team sport and not one player can win a game for you, but one girl not doing her job can certainly lose the game. inuries {i.e..lack of proper training and warmup and cool down} and lack of depth{i.e. recruiting year in and out all positions} has been major issues. but it all starts in the practice gym , pregame warmups, strength and conditioning. way behind the curve in all areas. if this coach is as good as advertised in teaching technique, and makes some changes in our training program you will see a very competitive team next year. she appears to be a good recruiter also so combine that and I'm excited for the future.

---

Pre game warm up is basically the same as everyone else Some hitting defense and passing/serving during our two specific warm up periods. I won't comment on strength and conditioning and cool down as not my area of expertise and don't know the inner workings. As for Hans (I assume) she can hit and most of her swings were out of system and if the OH2 Position would make us a sweet 16 team

As OH1 and her passing broke down second half of season as well as all passing didn't allow middles to develop and attack or allow better situational hitting from the outside. If Reasor would have been healthy I think we win three maybe four more matches this season if passing is just average not below average.

Going forward we need middle setter connection to improve by about 250% and passing to be much better. I would be looking for a libero that can pass rather then defend and maybe the outside transfer will make an immediate impact
Otherwise the team will be looking at mid SEC again next year.

That was in 2016. Doubtful we had anyone in 2017

Winning a championship in volleyball is a tough thing to accomplish. Since 1990 (28 years) Stanford and penn state have won it 7 times each. That's half the championships won during that period. Nebraska has won it 5 times, UCLA has won it 3 times USC 2 times, Long Beach state 2 times, Texas once, and Washington once. 8 different teams in 28 years. Pac12 teams have won it 13 times. Big10 teams (neb 2, Penn state) have won it 9 times. The big12 has won it 4 times (Neb 3, Texas 1).

Chances of hiring a head coach from one of these programs is infinitesimal. Hiring a top assistant is probably not a whole lot better. So for a program like A&M that has little to no national presence finding a quality head coach is going to be a crapshoot. Hiring a top talent evaluator and recruiter seems to be our best chance of raising the stature of the program. Both Florida and Kentucky have made a move to the upper echelon of college volleyball so it can be done.

Artimus Gordon said:

---

DThat was in 2016. Doubtful we had anyone in 2017

Winning a championship in volleyball is a tough thing to accomplish. Since 1990 (28 years) Stanford and penn state have won it 7 times each. That's half the championships won during that period. Nebraska has won it 5 times, UCLA has won it 3 times USC 2 times, Long Beach state 2 times, Texas once, and Washington once. 8 different teams in 28 years. Pac12 teams have won it 13 times. Big10 teams (neb 2, Penn state) have won it 9 times. The big12 has won it 4 times (Neb 3, Texas 1).

Chances of hiring a head coach from one of these programs is infinitesimal. Hiring a top assistant is probably not a whole lot better. So for a program like A&M that has little to no national presence finding a quality head coach is going to be a crapshoot. Hiring a top talent evaluator and recruiter seems to be our best chance of raising the stature of the program. Both Florida and Kentucky have made a move to the upper echelon of college volleyball so it can be done.

---

We had three all americans on the 2016 team with Aiple and Babers (2015) and Blake in 2016.

I will be all in with new staff just dont understand the process. Injury riddled year against huge SOS with 7 matches aginst eilte 8 teams and another three against sweet 16 teams. Not a reason to let go without a replacement already in place which wasnt the case
A six rotation outside hitter that can pass and a passing libero and a serving specialist is what we desparately need

The Aiple injury that ended her career has as much to do with our record as the poor passing. She was a leader/captain on the court and this team lacked that killer instinct.
The last 2 years recruiting classes were strong, and the incoming class is as well so you can't say it was recruiting.
Reed is a horrible arena for vball. I think the a new volleyball only complex is down the line behind the new softball complex. The only current Aggie women's sports coach with a better SEC record than volleyball is soccer. Basketball gets a pass because of the semi recent national title, but softball should also be looking over her shoulder.
Woodward thought he could money whip the Washington coach like he did Jimbo, but got shut down by 4 coaches before hiring an assistant with zero HC experience and the sad thing is, she will likely be paid way more than the winningest Aggie volleyball coach of all time.

Just interesting info regarding the state of VB nationwide listening to some of Cook's pressers this week and some of the numbers reported. Cook making north of $600,000 a year and T. Hildebrand as an asst at $100,000. Cook said he has a solid 3 yr commitment from Hildebrand.

-NU players indicating Hildebrand has brought lots of things to them from the men's game no coach had ever mentioned to them before.

-After NU was knocked out of the elite 8 three years in a row before their current run Cook made a list of about 30 things NU needed to improve on as a program to get over the PSU and elite 8 hump they were having. #1 was take over from PSU as the best team in the country in defense. NU has won the last 7 meetings with PSU now.

30 things as a program they need to do from a "name program" that has been in the final 4 nine years out of the last 20.....I guess that is how driven some of those top coaches really are.

Trevor Johnson named liberty university head coach

The old Baylor connection with the Liberty AD

A look back on the 6 SEC years

2017 Overall 10-15 Conf: 7-11

Top 25 opponents
L - Penn State #5 2-3
L - Stanford #1 0-3
L - Wisconsin #6 0-3
L - Texas #6 0-3
L - Florida #1 1-3
L - Kentucky #8 0-3
L - Kentucky #6 0-3
L - Florida # 3 0-3

2016 Overall 21-9 Conf: 15-3

Top 25 Opponents
L - Ohio State #15 2-3
L - Florida State #16 2-3
L - Minnesota #6 0-3
L - Texas #2 0-3
L - Wisconsin #6 0-3
L - Florida #9 1-3
L - Kentucky #24 1-3

NCAA Austin
L - SMU U/R 0-3 1st Round Game

2015 Overall 24-7 Conf 16-2

Top 25 Opponents
L - Stanford #2 0-3
W - Colorado State #15 3-2
L - Florida State #18 1-3
L - Florida #17 0-3
W - Kentucky #20 3-1
W - Kentucky #19 3-0

NCAA - College Station
L - Hawaii #7 0-3 2nd Round Game


2014 Overall 20-10 Conf: 13-5

Top 25 Opponents
W - USC #6 3-2
W - San Diego #13 3-1
L - Florida State #6 1-3
L - Florida State #6 0-3
L - Kentucky #13 0-3
L - Florida #9 0-3
W - Kentucky #16 3-1

NCAA Austin
L - Arizona State #22 1-3 1st Round Game

2013 Overall 19-12 Conf: 10-8

Top 25 Opponents
L - Iowa State #15 1-3
W - Florida State #16 3-0
L - Michigan #7 2-3
L - Colorado State #22 0-3
L - Florida #3 0-3
L - Missouri #11 0-3
L - Florida #5 2-3
L - Kentucky #16 0-3

NCAA Austin
L - Texas #1 1-3 2nd Round Game

2012 Overall 25-6 Conference 16-4

Top 25 Opponents
L - USC #5 1-3
L - Florida #11 2-3

NCAA Austin
L - Texas #3 1-3 2nd Round Game

I would say that it is the lack of success against top 25 competition that spelled the end of the Corebelli's

Correct. Taking out this past season as an outlier due to injuries you still have 2016. Or you could say why try and play tough competition and play a schedule like Alabama or Mississippi state etc where you go 12-1 before SEC play even starts. I applauded the decision over the past two years to schedule extremely tough. It gave us the number one SOS in the entire country but backfired this season.

End result we got a new coach with no head coaching experience. Curious if we will have a hard schedule next year or become the school who plays crappy teams to artificially raise our winning percentage.
As I said before I will be all in with the new coach and hope it works out as many assistants have done before. I just think that expectations to avoid Texas in second round is top 16 and that will be difficult to accomplish without playing the heavyweights

Pioneer said:

---

I'm hearing ku asst... top 3 choices turned down the job..

Need a vball only arena like tu...

---

Did we decided if Laura Kuhn is indeed the pick?

I check in to this thread every couple of days, and noticed 3-4 days ago that it appears we made a choice. I know if hasn't been announced, but if the decision has been made, it would be nice to know.

OTOH, I appreciate the information updates, I just wasn't sure if y'all had confirmation of some kind.

Yes Kuhn out of Kansas. Solid recruiter no head coaching experience.

Volleyball article

Max Preps 2nd Team All American Aggie 2018 commit Kaitlin Rogers

Are there plans to get a volleyball only facility? Thought I saw one on a master plan close to Olsen Field maybe??

Last I heard it was years away but the timetable might be moved up with promises made. It would have been great to build a facility for vb possible gymnastics