Club volleyball hires first head coach in program history
For the entirety of its existence, URI women’s club volleyball has never had a coach.
That all changes this season, as former Brown University Club Volleyball Head Coach Cathy Fulford has accepted the coaching position in Kingston.
As a former champion both on and off the court, Fulford hopes to implement the mentality of creating good chemistry into each and every player that goes through her program.
Fulford’s coaching journey began as she coached for Brown University as one of her first jobs in the sport. Prior to that, she also was an assistant coach for URI’s volleyball team immediately after playing in Kingston for college.
Throughout the years she has accumulated mentors such as Arthur Carmichael, former URI coach and Russell Lowe from Penn State. Carmichael was a coach of Fulford’s, who she described as a “wonderful, intelligent, and a great teacher.”
Fulford has also traveled to Europe to play and learn more about the sport. According to her, she learned about the cultural differences in the sport as well as about the similarities American volleyball and European volleyball share in terms of playstyle and coaching strategy.
In anticipation to coach for Rhody, Fulford has raved about her excitement, hoping to work together with senior captain and president Gabby Andrade as well as the rest of the team, as she said the mental connection to the players is very important to her.
Andrade said that Fulford will be able to help her reach her goals.
“My season goal is to improve tournament play,” Andrade said. “Even play in those big tournaments we couldn’t organize last year.”
Fulford’s goals ultimately line up with Andrade’s, who said she is extremely excited to have a “motivator” and “leader” to push these players to their optimal performance both on and off the court.
Before having a coach, a player in Andrade’s position had to take on the role of player-coach, trying to focus on her game while also managing substitutions and timeouts. According to Andrade, this can be very challenging for any athlete, and she is thankful that having a coach will likely decrease stress on the court so she can focus more on her responsibilities as a player.
Also, having a coach will provide the team a sense of professionalism and organization to the program. They would love to improve tournament play, and even win a couple of them if possible. Creating a positive environment around volleyball however is their main priority.
This hire opens up new opportunities on campus for students as well as potential vacancies for more coaching positions in club sports. As for club volleyball, they are one step closer to becoming a more professional and serious team that supports competition and teamwork.