COACH LEO FAHEY'S ALMOST-DAILY VOLLEYBALL BLOG!

WELCOME TO THE
ALMOST-DAILY WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL BLOG

By Leo Fahey, Head Coach

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Spring is just around the corner!  It was 54 degrees today and I just returned from a 4-mile run through some trails near my house. Half of it was snow and mud, but it was 54 degrees and I was just wearing shorts and a t-shirt so it's all good. Did I mention that it was 54 degrees?
 
I have not been posting of late because of my real job. I hate when that gets in the way. But I have been very busy prepping for some recent meetings that took place last week. Needless to say, I was really happy when Friday finally rolled around.  I wanted to share some schedule developments.
 
Non-traditional spring season starts on March 15 after spring break. We are playing in two playdates . . .  on March 17 we are traveling to Bryant to play Boston College, Brown, Bryant, Holy Cross and UMass Lowell. The following week are going to Franklin Pierce.  I am not exactly sure who is playing in that, but I seem to recollect Plymouth State and Endicott committing.
 
Scheduling for the fall is almost done! So far I have 22 dates of competition and am looking to add 2 more. Included in that will be a tri-match on September 19 in Philadelphia (road trip!) against the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and Wilmington University. I have never been to the City of Brotherly Love so we are definitely going to see the historical sights and have some cheese steak. 
 
Tuesday, February 17, 2010

The Las Vegas Classic is over and I did not update daily as promised. Coming in late really fouled things up for me because it took 3/4 of a day away from me. That being said, I was able to see about 60 percent of the prospective student-athletes I needed to see which is better than none. The problem is that there were over 400 teams spread out over 10 venues and none of the venues are close together. Therefore, I was driving all over the city and trying to be efficient with limited time. I literally was working from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

So, while I was disappointed I could not see everyone, I was very impressed with the players I did see.  I mean very impressed.  The caliber of hitter is always strong out here, but I was truly blown away by the quality of backrow play.  It came from the OHs, but especially from the liberos . . . defense was what it was all about and most of these players played the relentless pursuit defense all coaches dream about. It was really fun to watch. Last, but not least, I really enjoyed watching the setters. They were all so athletic, but also very smart and creative.

Right now I am exhausted, but plan on playing in my own tournemt at Caesar's with my only free time in Vegas before I head to Phoenix AZ where I am going to meet up with my son. Wish me luck!  

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Last night I celebrated an early Valentine's Day with my wife Shereen (Ameerally '87) at home. We hosted a small dinner party with friends. The menu included shrimp, salmon and steak tips. It was a very nice evening. So why I am telling you about all of this?

Shereen and I met at Assumption in 1983.  It was in an economics class in the Kennedy building. Our first date was a St Valentine's Day Dance at the Worcester Art Museum. Yikes! I just did the math . . . not good!  In any event, I will not be home Valentine's Day as I will be on a recruiting trip in Las Vegas. I obviously had to do some alternative planning to make this trip happen. There is a very fine line between trying to make our team better and ending up in divorce court. As I did all the planning for the dinner party last night and it was such a success . . . I think I pulled it off!
 
Seriously, Shereen sacrifices and puts up with a lot by allowing me to coach at Assumption and I wanted to say how much I appreciate the opportunity.  As for Las Vegas, I will be updating you all daily about what is going on in my second favorite city. 

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

I was able to track down our junior defensive specialist, Christina Acunzo, who is currently studying in Italy for the semester. Christina is a history/education major who also was on the Dean's List last semester. She was kind enough to take a few minutes out of her busy schedule to shoot me a quick note about her experience. Hopefully, we will be able to get some regular updates.

 "Although I am studying for the majority of the semester in Rome, Italy, I have been at my orientation in Florence for a week-and-a-half now. Florence is an amazing city (and without using any public transportation) I have already learned my way around the big city! Also, using the AIFS Study Abroad Program I have been able to travel all over Italy and Europe. Within the short time I’ve been here I’ve seen England, Florence, Pisa, Venice and Siena! I’ve definitely become a more independent person as I’ve learned how to travel around a foreign city and budget my money with little access to the internet (and thus my bank account). So far, it has also been amazing learning a new culture and language. I’ve already found it significantly easier to communicate with the locals at stores, bars, and restaurants.

Being in Italy has been amazing in itself too because the food, gelato, desserts, wine and the sights are all unbelievable! Seeing the gondolas and Carnivale masks in Venice, seeing the statue of David in Florence, seeing the beautiful ancient city of Venice and the Leaning Tower of Pisa have been the most amazing things I have ever seen or experienced. I cannot wait to get to Rome and settle down in my own apartment and become more of a local Roman than an American tourist!"

Arrivederci! Christina Acunzo

Monday, February 1, 2010

This past Sunday marked the start of individual-skill workouts. I was pleased to see everyone back on campus. Moreover, I was happy to see that everyone is eager to start working and preparing for the 2010 campaign. Again, the main focus for this spring is to improve our serve and serve-receive.
 
I also asked our two captains, Samantha Wessling and Aimee Drainville, to participate in a little question and answer session. Thank you Sam and Aimee for your time and for being good sports!
 
1) When you fire up your computer, what is your homepage?*
SW:   My homepage is the Assumption College e-mail site. Boring, I know, but I always have to check my e-mail for information from my coach, professors, classmates . . . everyone!
AD:  Facebook, its an addiction.
 
This was a trick question. The correct answer is the Assumption College volleyball website, or better yet, the Fahey Blog. But, understand that Wes and Aimee are very new captains . . . they will eventually get it!
 
2) Congratulations on being named captains for 2010. What do you see as your main job? 
SW:  I see my main job as keeping everyone focused and together, and most importantly with a positive attitude. Keeping everyone on the same page and with the same mindset while having a lot of fun is what will make us a better team on the court.
AD: Motivate and lead the team to improving, being a close team both on-and-off the court and getting WINS! 
 
3) I realize that it may have been a really long time ago but why did you choose Assumption College?
SW: I'm from a very small town where everyone knows each other and is extremely close.  Being a smaller campus, the atmosphere here is much more intimate and it reminded me of home. I knew right away I wanted to come here.
AD: Seems like forever ago that I was doing the college application process but I remember using the Collegeboard Search website and typing in D2 Volleyball, New England location and Mass Communications major as my criteria. I settled on Assumption after being recruited to play here.
 
4) Senior year next year! What are the plans for after graduation?
SW:  I am an environmental science major, and a chemistry minor, so ideally I will get a great job at a huge environmental company and be able to work outdoors. I’m a huge animal fan so any job where I can be outside and see them, I’m game!
AD: Wow . . . graduating college already! Hopefully I'll get a sportscasting job in or around Boston and start making money (to play back my college loans, ugh)
 
5) What would be your best advice for the incoming players in the class of 2014?
SW: Don’t hesitate or be nervous to be yourself and to play your game. The people on the team here are some of the best teammates I have had the privilege to play with, and I regretted being nervous and timid when I first started. Don’t be. You’ll be a better player and feel a part of the family faster if you just put aside the nerves and play!
AD: I would encourage any freshman to try out for a sports team . . . it helps so much in getting off to a good start in college. Right away you have your teammates as friends, older kids for advice on college living, and practices to keep you busy and in shape. As a student-athlete I would warn incoming freshman to stay really organized and focused on time management between school, social life and sports because it takes a lot of work to balance all that.
 
6) Any spring break plans?  Other than following the off-season strength & conditioning program, of course.
SW: Although my No. 1 plan is to follow the program (of course), my group of friends is going to rent a house at Myrtle Beach for the week. I’ve never been there so I can’t wait!
AD: Work, maybe to start saving up for a fun spring break trip my senior year.
 
7) What is the best part of being on the Assumption Volleyball team?
SW: by far the best part of being on this team are the people that you play with. We all get along very well, and although every player and coach says it, the Assumption volleyball team means it when we say we don’t fight, and we are a great family. I was so excited be part of a team where everyone really is friends and having fun comes entirely natural. It is by far the best team I have been a part of through all my years of competitive sports.
AD: The team. My closest friends are all former or current teammates, and the memories we've had as a team on and off the court are some of the best of my college years. Playing volleyball is without a doubt one of my favorite things to do, and its even better to be doing it with such great teammates.
 
8) How do you feel about a Republican being elected the new U.S. Senator from Massachusetts?
SW: To be completely honest, I don’t pay much attention to politics. I know that’s bad but I know that having a Republican is going to bring changes to Massachusetts, and I personally am looking forward to seeing what happens.
AD: Ha, ha, ha we're talking politics! I don't mind what party he is. I think Scott Brown has big plans for some important changes in Massachusetts but I'll believe it when I see it. I support him in his efforts to raise educational standards but I feel that is an issue we need to improve nationwide.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

So the schools of the N.C.A.A. Division II met last week in Atlanta, GA passing a four-proposal “Life in the Balance” legislative package. They also confirmed the legislative parameters to govern volleyball as an emerging sport. Essentially, the effect all this will have on us here at Assumption College is pretty minimal in my opinion.

The dates of competition will be reduced from 28 to 26. My goal is to get 26 dates of competition for 2010 and I am finding this very difficult to do because of the lack of Division II volleyball programs in the area. So 26 is a great number in my mind. 

The preseason will be shortened by one week. I think this is actually a good thing because it reduces the risk of overplaying, injury and boredom. Three-or-so weeks of double sessions doesn't made a lot of sense to me because it is really too long a time. Two weeks will be more than adequate to prepare properly.

Sand volleyball has been approved as an emerging sport in which 16 dates of competition are being allowed. This is a great for the sport of volleyball in terms of growth and popularity. However, it is a non-issue here in Worcester, Mass. because of the weather, unfortunately. I wonder if there will ever be indoor sand volleyball?

Bottom line is that N.C.A.A. and the schools are looking to reduce costs due to the economy which is the appropriate thing to do. More importantly, we will start preseason on August 16, 2010 and hopefully have our first match on September 2, 2010. 

Monday, January 18, 2010

So, I spent the better part of the weekend down in Hartford at the NERVA/Mizuno Winterfest supporting the three Central Massachusetts teams we sent down there and also doing a little recruiting.
 
It was a great event . . . very well organized and run. I spoke with Dave Piexoto of NERVA who promises bigger and better things in years to come. This really bodes well for the future of junior Olympic volleyball in the New England region. Hopefully, we will be able to attract more out of region teams next year.
 
The Central Mass. teams did well. The CMass Mohawks (16s) ended up in 17th place overall. The CMass Bobcatz (18s) ended up winning their bracket and the CMass Thunderbirds (18s) ended up 13th overall. Not a bad start and a great tune-up for the upcoming qualifiers.
 
I am coaching a 14-year-old team, the CMass Greyhounds (of course!), who are shaping up pretty well. We start play in March and I will keep you updated on our progress.
 
As for recruiting, it was good to see that our current prospective student athletes are playing really great and solidly representing their club teams.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

I am very happy and proud to share the posting of 2009 Fall Semester Student-Athlete Honor Roll at Assumption College. I am a strong believer in 'academics before athletics' and was thrilled to see the strong showing the volleyball team had this past semester in the classroom. We had EIGHT players on the list. Congratulations to those who made it and keep up the hard work!
 
Perfect Student-Athletes (seniors with 7 appearances on the honor role):
Courtney Stratton, OH majoring in English/Elementary Education
 
Directors Citation (3.5 to 3.99 GPA):
Christina Acunzo, DS majoring in History
Courtney Stratton, OH majoring in English/Elementary Education
Samantha Wessling, RS majoring in Environmental Science
Stephanie Whooten, L majoring in Management
Stephanie Wichelman, RS majoring in Accounting
 
Honor Roll (3.0 and higher GPA):
Jessica Haller, OH majoring in Marketing
Kristen Lamoureux, MH majoring in Biology
Sarah McGowan, OH majoring in Sociology
 

Monday, January 4, 2010

So what is next for Assumption College volleyball?
 
With the start of 2010, I thought it would be natural to share a few of my thoughts as to what I think the future looks like for the volleyball program. This is definitely not a New Year's resolutions list as the wheels of change have been in motion since Coach Baker and I arrived in August. This is a more of a peek-inside-the-game-plan, if you will, of what we've been developing in an effort to improve the program.
 
The ultimate goal is simple . . . to make our team competitive in Northeast-10 Conference as soon as possible. How to become competitive quickly, however, is not so simple.  So here is the broad outline of the plan . . .
 
"It's the recruiting, stupid!"  I'm putting a little twist on the phrase "It's the economy, stupid!" which is attributed to James Carville during the 1992 Clinton presidential campaign. I love utilizing my Assumption politics degree! Successful recruiting for 2010 and 2011 is the critical piece of the puzzle to improve this program and make it competitive. We've been working very hard to 'sign' between four-to-eight quality volleyball players. We are at the cusp of final decision-making with all the accepted 2010 early action candidates and are confident that we will be making exciting announcements in the next few weeks.
 
"You gotta be strong!" Another piece of the puzzle is strength & conditioning. I've already indicated that our off-season conditioning began in late November. When our players return to campus in mid-January, the program is going to be shifting away from speed, reaction and vision on to more strength training. We will be flexing on opponents by April!
 
"Fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals!" The individual skill and non-traditional season practice opportunities are going to center around serve and serve-receive.  I think this makes sense from an available personnel standpoint as well as a fundamental skills standpoint. It is imperative that we get better at these two skills. We fell a little short of our stated goals in these two areas last season. The spring will be a great opportunity to really focus and fine tune these skills.
 
"Mind over matter." We began to dabble in mental training last season, specifically visualization techniques. It was a little awkward because as coaches, while we realize the importance of mental training, we are not trained psychologists. Therefore, we will plan to do a better job coming up with a solid mental training program that we can easily convey and incorporate.
 
That's about it for now. Happy and prosperous New Year. 

Friday, December 18, 2009

Here are the top songs that were played during warmups this year. Guess which song Coach Baker forced onto the playlist?
 
'Down' by Jay Sean featuring Lil Wayne
'Throw It In The Bag' by Fabolous [sic] featuring The-Dream
'Run This Town' by Jay Z featuring Rihanna and Kanye West
'Party In The USA' by Miley Cyrus
'My Time' by Fabolous featuring Jeremih
'Good Girls Go Bad' by Cobra Starship featuring Leighton Meester
'Replay' by  Iyaz
"I Write The Songs" by Barry Manilow
'Evacuate The Dancefloor' by Cascada
'Bottoms Up' Keke Palmer
'Forever' Drake featuring Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Eminem

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

I have been catching up on my reading lately and found some really great articles in Sports Illustrated on December 7, 2009 . . . Derek Jeter was named Sportsman-of-the-Year, Michelle Wei won her first LPGA tournament and Urban Meyer, the coach at Florida State.
 
Winning seemed to be the major theme in the three articles.
 
I was amazed to learn that Derek Jeter has the highest winning percentage (60.3%) among active players who have appeared in at least 1,000 games. His biggest dislike is individuals who don't care about winning. He gets angry "when people don't care--not when they fail; everybody fails--or when people act like they don't care. You have one opportunity to do something, and you never know if you're going to get that opportunity again."
 
Michelle Wie became a pro golfer four years ago when she was a junior in high school and was expected to win immediately because of her extraordinary talent. Currently Wie is in her third year at Stanford. Last weekend she finally won her first tournament in Mexico. Prior to her leaving for this tournament she was asked about not winning and stated, "I have been trying my best to figure it out, and I think what it comes down to is, I needed to believe in myself a little more. So now when I play, I am putting myself out there more and really putting myself on the line. The stakes are higher for me, but I am O.K. with that. I am so focused on winning and to get that victory that I have to give it everything I have. There's no holding back anymore."
 
Then there was the article about Urban Meyer. He was raised by a demanding father whose expectations were nearly unachievable. He coached under Woody Hayes at Ohio State. Meyer has been referred to as the 'lunatic' for his intensity and outbursts of anger. He has been know to smash TV's during film sessions etc. Of late, however, he has mellowed a little and is trying hard to balance this intensity. And he is now trying to actually talk to his players instead of screaming at them!
 
Check these articles out if you can. Three different approaches to winning and all of them working.
 

Monday, December 7

Last night was the end-of-the-year dinner for the 2009 volleyball team. Coach Heather Baker was kind enough to host this affair at her home just up the street from campus. On the menu was Chinese food with ice cream sundaes for dessert. The food was delicious and the evening was pretty mellow and low key. I suspect the upcoming finals for everyone contributed to the mood.
 
There were, however, two major announcements made after dinner.
 
Kelly Blumenauer won the 2009 "Hustle Award."  After every practice, the team voted the player who hustled the most during that particular practice and the coaching staff (Heather) kept a record of who won. Kelly won the most times. Great work and well-deserved!
 
Finally, Samantha Wessling and Aimee Drainville were named captains for the 2010 season. Both Sam and Aimee have shown good leadership skills and, more importantly, have made the commitment to lead this program to where it needs to be. Heather and I are very much looking forward to working with Sam and Aimee.

Wednesday, December 2

On the way to Le Moyne College (Syracuse, NY) this year, Coach Heather Baker devised a game to play involving odd facts about everyone on the team. It was a very difficult game that was eventually won by Jessica Haller. Here are the results of game:
    This person wears the same necklace every game day and has ever since freshman year of high school?  Courtney Stratton
    In high school this person held the record for most home runs (8) in one whiffle ball game in gym class? Sarah McGowan
    Her dad was born on Christmas and his mother's name is Mary and his father's name is Joseph? Britta Leonard
    She used to have a cow named Daisy? Stephanie Wichelman
    This person HATES feet? Christina Acunzo
    This person hasn't cried since the age of  9? Leo Fahey
    She LOVES the smell of gasoline?  Sam Lupinski
    She can only wink with one eye? Heather Baker
    She has a stuffed animal named "foxy" that she still sleeps with every night? Aimee Drainville
    She has walked across the Golden Gate Bridge? Kristen Lamoureux
    When she eats Skittles she has to eat them in a certain color order? Jessica Haller
    This CRAZY girl does NOT like chocolate? Stephanie Whooten
    She won a rifle shooting contest against men who were all over the age of 40 when she was only 10? Samantha Wessling
    When alone, this person talks out loud to herself ALL THE TIME? Kelly Blumenauer

Monday, November 23

The challenge has been postponed. I had to bail on the Turkey Trot race because of a schedule conflict. I thought the race started at 10:30 a.m. but the actual start time was noon which made it impossible to do. The start of tryouts for CMass Juniors Volleyball also started at noon and since I am a Director in the club my presence at the tryout was necessary. Oh well, I ended up going for a 7-mile run later in the afternoon in the Assabet National Wildlife Refuge which is one of my favorite running spots. Where else can you run for about an hour and not see one human being or car?
 
Speaking of staying in shape...
 
The off-season conditioning program has started for the volleyball team.  We met with strength and conditioning coach Krystle Robleski last week to go over the new items in the program.  In addition to the plyometrics, the focus in the first part of the off-season will be improving speed, reaction and vision.  Some of the drills include card snatching (I think the most beautiful card in the deck is the ace of spades), agility ball, hot hands, soccer headers and racquetball.  I really like the program because of its intensity and creativity.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Monday, November 16

My first tryout here at Assumption College is now completed. Our staff felt it was a tremendous success and was particularly impressed at the level of play. We would like to thank everyone who attended as well as all the players who helped and hosted. And, finally a big thank-you to Kathy Daige (in the athletics office) for all her help and, more importantly, for not strangling me . . . and the returns are semi-promising for those daring to take on the ol' coach in the "turkey trot" road race . . . the challenge is still out there!

Friday, November 13

Here is an interesting challenge to the Greyhound volleyball team . . . on Friday the 13th no less . . . Can you beat a really slow 46-year-old guy in a 5K race?  On November 22 at 10:30 a.m. CAMPUS RECREATION is co-sponsoring the "Turkey Trot" with the STUDENT COUNCIL. I am going to run it AND I double-dare you to try and beat me! My last race was a 25K on Labor Day so I am out-of-shape and extremely vulnerable. Any takers?

Wednesday, November 11

“You got Hallered!” Congratulations to senior Jessica Haller for being named Most Valuable Player-of-the-Week in Le Provocateur (our student-operated newspaper). She was also on  the Northeast-10 Conference weekly honor roll this past week.
 
Senior Courtney Stratton reports that her surgery went “very well” today, which is great news! We wish Courtney a speedy recovery.

Everyone is getting ‘pumped and jacked’ for the team tryout this weekend. It will be a geographical delight as we have players coming from all around the country. It's been a little stressful trying to coordinate all this, but it will be well worth the effort.

Friday, November 6

The final match of the 2009 season against UMass Lowell has just ended. After the bus ride back to campus with Eugene, I had an opportunity to speak to the team and thank it for the hard work, dedication and commitment.

Going 2-20 is never fun, but these players never quit, whined, pointed fingers or complained. All they did was give it their best effort and try to improve each and every practice. Moreover, they did so with a great attitude and a great sense of humor. Coach (Heather) Baker and I are very proud of each and every player and are really looking forward to improving this program.  We look forward to the "roster enhancement season" and the prospects of moving into the conference playoff elite next year.
 
A special note to the senior members of our team Kelly, Jess and Courtney. You are the best and I wish you all the luck in your future endeavors.

Over the next few months we'll keep everybody informed about the recruiting process and give special incite to the changes we'll make in our schedule for 2010.