Finding a New Coach for Omaha, Part 3: A Realistic Look at Potential Candidate Pool
Yesterday, I discussed a few things as it pertains to the head coach opening at Omaha with the surprise announcement of Rose Shires retiring immediately at the end of last week.
There are some big questions out there about what Omaha will do with its volleyball program and the direction it wants to go in. Those were addressed in this article.
Then there was the topic as to whether or not Omaha would swing for the fences with this hire and go after a big name. If so, these are the five candidates I would have at the top of my list.
But, let’s really get into the meat of what is likely to be the most realistic look at potential candidates for the job. An educated guess, as I’ve said before, is that this job will attract a lot of national attention, but at the same time it’s hard to picture someone coming in and getting the job without any local connections or ties. I say that because getting the top talent from local clubs and schools is paramount, and someone with an established connection or relationships with them now would expedite the process.
Nebraska built itself into a national power by taking advantage of the local talent. Creighton did the exact same thing. And now that both those schools have become national powerhouses, the door is wide open for Omaha to stockpile on local talent that is going to other Division I programs at the moment.
Nebraska and Creighton will almost certainly grab the top two-to-five players in the state each year. Where Omaha needs to make hay is by grabbing the next tier of kids – kids that are currently going to places like Iowa, South Dakota, Iowa State, Colorado State, etc. Building a core of Nebraska kid and filling in your needed pieces with talent-rich clubs in Iowa, Kansas City and Minnesota is a blue-print to success.
I’m also a huge believer in coaching trees. John Cook at Nebraska obviously has a tremendous coaching tree, as does Kirsten Bernthal-Booth at Creighton. I just think there are so many good candidates out there with local ties that the likelihood is the next coach at Omaha will be someone well known in local circles.
With all that in mind, here is an educated-guess type of list that I’ve put together. First, let me acknowledge that it is real easy for me to sit here and craft of a list of candidates and that it is an ENTIRELY different thing to actually do it in the real world. I do not envy the job in front of Omaha AD Trev Alberts and any individual(s) assisting in the selection process.
All potential candidates are listed alphabetically.
Ben & Angie Boldt, Head Coach, Concordia University
The coaching duo arrived in Seward a little over a year ago and they have deep roots in Nebraska and a ton of various experiences. Most recently, the husband/wife duo spent two seasons leading the Hendrix College Warriors. In their two-year stint, they won the 2016 Southern Athletic Association championship.
A native of Hickman, Neb., Ben possesses extensive experience at the NCAA Division I level. He got his start as a student coach and manager at Nebraska where he was part of a national championship team in 2006. He moved onto the University of Alabama as an assistant for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. His next journey took him to the University of Iowa for five years in Iowa City, where he worked specifically with liberos and middle blockers and was promoted to recruiting coordinator in 2012. He also spent one season apiece assisting volleyball teams at the University of Arkansas (2014) and Iowa Western Community College (2015).
Originally from St. Paul, Neb., Angie became a head coach at Hendrix College in 2016. Prior to Arkansas, she has worked as an assistant coach or in volleyball operations at Nebraska Wesleyan University (2015-16), Arkansas (2014-15), Iowa (2008-14), Alabama (2006-08) and Nebraska (2003-06).
John Cook also publicly endorsed the duo for the Concordia job.
Matt Buttermore, Head Coach, Hastings College
Buttermore has turned Hastings College into a national power and was the AVCA NAIA Coach of the Year in 2016. He has compiled a 178-53 record in seven seasons and has also been recognized as the GPAC and West-Central Region Coach of the Year in 2012, 2016, 2017.
Buttermore’s program is about 90% in-state talent and he well respected and known in the volleyball community for his recruiting and match coaching. Prior to Hastings, Buttermore spent three seasons as assistant coach at Bellevue University and previous to his time at Bellevue, Buttermore was the assistant coach at Concordia University for three seasons.
A native of Lincoln, Buttermore played collegiately at the University of Findlay (NCAA I-II). He holds the University of Findlay’s record for blocks in a single match and total blocks in a season.
Buttermore’s wife – who also serves as the strength-and-conditioning coach at Hastings, is the former Laura Pilakowski, who won a national championship at Nebraska in 2000 and was the 2002 Big 12 Co-Conference Player of the Year and a two-time AVCA All-American.
Craig Dyer, Assistant Coach, Creighton University
Dyer came to Creighton to replace the departed Ryan Meek, who took High Point University to the NCAA Tournament last year. Meek came to Creighton to replace Tom Mendoza, who is now the head coach at South Carolina and took the Gamecocks to the NCAA Tournament last year. The Kirsten Bernthal Booth coaching tree is legit and Dyer could be the next in that line.
Dyer came to Creighton after spending the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at Penn State, where he assisted with all recruiting activities in addition to video analysis and scouting report preparation of all opponents. Dyer served as the program’s defensive coordinator in 2016 and worked primarily with PSU’s outside hitters in 2017. He trained a pair of All-Americans on the outside in 2017, including Big Ten Player of the Year Simone Lee.
“I think this is a home-run hire,” Kirsten Bernthal Booth said at the time of his hiring. “Craig has been part of building two programs at Marquette and Pittsburgh, and then one of the perennial powers in the country at Penn State. Everyone that I talked to that he’s worked with just rave about him as a coach, as a recruiter and most importantly as a person.”
While at Pitt from 2013-16, Dyer served as the Panthers’ assistant and associate head coach, as well as recruiting coordinator, while also working primarily with the setters and the offense. Dyer was voted among the Top 10 Women’s Assistant Coaches in the collegiate game in a 2015 VolleyballMag.com poll while he was at Pitt. Prior to Pitt, he was an assistant coach at Marquette University from 2009-12. Dyer also made stops as an assistant coach at Seton Hall (2004-06) and Rutgers (2002-04) after serving as a head coach at with the men’s program at Susquehanna (2000-02).
Paul Giesselmann, Head Coach, Midland University
While Giesselmann is a great candidate, he loves his job at Midland University and about the only job that would pull him away would be becoming a caddy for his daughter on the LPGA tour some day. Giesselmann, though, knows how to put butts in the seats and Ws on the scoreboard. Midland draws an average crowd of about 1,000 to home matches and has a waiting list for corporate suites at Midland’s facility.
Since his arrival in 2010, Midland has posted a 249-90 record. In 2013 and 2015, the Warriors made it to the Elite 8, in 2016 and 2018 they reached the Final Four and in 2017 they were in the Sweet 16. Giesselmann joined the Warriors in 2010 after coaching at Creighton University since 2003. At Creighton, Giesselmann served as Creighton’s recruiting coordinator while working heavily with individual on-court training.
Prior to his service at Creighton, Giesselmann was head volleyball coach at College of Saint Mary from 1994–2001. There he earned NAIA National Coach of the Year honors in 2000 and Region Coach of the Year accolades in 1996, 1999, 2000 and 2001. He also claimed Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors in seven straight seasons from 1995–2001.
Scott Kneifl, Head Coach, Wayne State
Kneifl has been regarded as the most prominent head coach in the non-Division I Nebraska volleyball scene for quite a while. He has led the Wildcat program to unprecedented success resulting in 11 NCAA Division II Tournament appearances, 13 20-win seasons, one NCAA Central Region Title, one national semifinal appearance and one NSIC Tournament title (2007). During his 14 years at Wayne State College, Kneifl has accumulated career records of 344-124 overall (.735) and 196-74 (.726) in the Northern Sun Conference. He achieved his 300th career win on November 5th, 2016 at University of Mary and is the 23rd winningest active coach in NCAA Division II with a .735 winning percentage.
Kneifl has been routinely recruiting against Summit League teams for several years, despite being Division II and has always been able to get some of the top in-state talent to Wayne despite less than ideal facilities and being in a very small town. As I’ve stated in previous articles, the NSIC that Wayne State is in is probably better than the Summit League from a top-to-bottom standpoint. Wildcat volleyball also ranked as one of the top Division II programs for home attendance, ranking 13th nationally during the 2018 season with an average of 583 fans per home match – slightly more than what Omaha drew last year – the ninth straight year that WSC has ranked in the top 15 in NCAA Division II home attendance.
Kneifl got his start in coaching at Allen High School and also served as an assistant at Doane College and was the head coach at Millard South while also working for local clubs, including Nebraska Juniors.
Jen Malcolm, Associate Head Coach, Iowa State
I don’t know a whole lot about Malcolm, but I do know that her name came up multiple times while talking with people at Colorado Crossroads last weekend. She’s had a presence in Nebraska the last couple years running some camps at local clubs and Iowa State has also come in and grabbed some good talent out of the state.
The 2019 campaign will be Malcom’s first as associate head coach, as she received the promotion following the conclusion of the 2018 season, which likely means she’s going to be in Ames for a while, but you never know.
Malcom, who played for ISU from 2006-08, previously coached at Tennessee, Virginia Tech and Arkansas State.
A native of Schaller, Iowa, Malcom started her collegiate career at Syracuse for two seasons, before transferring to Iowa State. In her two years, Malcom helped guide ISU volleyball to then-unprecedented heights, helping lead Iowa State to its first Sweet 16 in 2007 and first Elite Eight in 2008. She was a key cog in that revolution, earning All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and AVCA All-Central Region in 2008.
Ryan Meek, Head Coach, High Point University
Another product of the Kirsten Bernthal-Booth coach tree, I know during his time at Creighton he talked about how much he loved the city and how interesting the Omaha job would be. But, that was more than a year ago and he has since moved on to High Point and took that school to the NCAA Tournament last season. Would he still be interested, who knows, but it would definitely be worth finding out.
Meek arrived at Creighton after spending five seasons as head coach at Hendrix College in Conway, Ark., where he helped the Warriors to a 110-64 record. Prior to joining the Warrior staff, Meek spent two seasons at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin. He was the top assistant for the Lions and was named interim head coach in February 2011. While at MSSU, Meek helped the Lions to their first regional ranking since 2006 and he coached four All-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association players.
Meek served as a volunteer assistant for the University of Arkansas from January 2007-July 2008 and from 2004-06, Meek was the head girls varsity coach and assistant boys coach for Simi Valley High School in California. Meek was the starting setter for Quincy University in 2003, where he led the Hawks in assists and finished third in the league in assists per set. In 2002, Meek led Moorpark College and the state of California in assists, setting Moorpark’s single-season assists record.
“We’re thrilled for Ryan and we’re thrilled for High Point,” Bernthal-Booth said at the time of his hire at High Point, “Ryan is someone that’s going to work his tail off to be great and I know he’s really excited about all that High Point has to offer. I have no doubt he’s going to continue to move what is already a very successful program to new heights.”
Katelin Opitz, Associate Head Coach, Denver University
Katelin Opitz (formerly Batten) has been at Denver – a fellow Summit League school – for seven years. In 2018, the Pioneers went a perfect 15-0 in Summit League matches, went on a 25-match win streak that included 16 sweeps, received votes in the AVCA Top-25 Poll for the first time, earned their first-ever at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament, and wrapped up the year with a 27-3 mark, the best record in program history.
Opitz also works heavily within the USA Volleyball High Performance Pipeline. Most recently, she led the USA Youth A1 White to a silver medal in the women’s international division at the High Performance Championships. She also helped train the youth national team before the World Championships in 2017. In 2015 Batten served as an assistant coach on the Youth A1 Red Team at the USA High Performance Championships, winning a bronze medal in the International Women’s division. In 2014 she assisted in training the USA Junior National and Youth National Teams before the NORCECA championships in which a gold and silver medal were won respectively. She also served as a coach during the 2013 and 2014 USA HP Holiday Camps and was the featured coach in USA Volleyball’s March 2014 blog.
Opitz came to DU with a wealth of playing experience after playing four years at Colorado State University. She was also mentored by some of the greatest figures in club and youth volleyball. Prior to joining DU, Opitz was an assistant to former Ohio State head coach, Jim Stone at Front Range Volleyball Club. She also served as an assistant with the Norco Volleyball Club under former University of Nebraska head coach, Terry Pettit.
Opitz is married to former Husker basketball standout Jake Opitz, who was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2008 and played seven years in the minors before hip surgery ended his career in 2015. He quickly found a new calling with coaching, however, and he now manages the Colorado Rockies’ Double-A affiliate the Grand Junction Rockies.
Elena Pietro, Assistant Coach, Omaha
Pietro joined the Mavericks in March 2015, after previously spending two years as the head coach at Papillion-LaVista South High School. She also coached club volleyball locally for Premier Volleyball Club, as well as for the Cajunland Volleyball Club in New Orleans, La., and the Red Storm and Baton Rouge Volleyball Clubs in Baton Rouge, La.
A four-year letterwinner at LSU as a libero and defensive specialist, Pietro was a two-time AVCA All-America Honorable Mention pick in 2007 and 2008. She twice earned AVCA All-South Region recognition, was voted SEC Defensive Player of the Year as a junior and senior and was an All-SEC Second Team selection both seasons. Over her Tiger career, Pietro broke LSU and SEC records for digs in a season (703) and digs per game in a season (5.33), and she led the conference and ranked 35th nationally in digs per game. Additionally, Pietro was a member of the USA Women’s National A2 Team in 2008.
Following her decorated collegiate career, Pietro went on to play professionally for the Llaneras Professional Volleyball Team in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. In 2010, she and her squad placed second in the Liga de Veleibol Superior Femenino.
Pietro has served as the recruiting coordinator for the Mavericks and the talent on the team’s roster has improved tremendously since her arrival. She has worked her tail off since joining the Omaha staff and certainly deserves to be in the mix for the head job and definitely for being a part of the program moving forward.
Micah Rhodes, Assistant Coach, Omaha
Rhodes is the program’s offensive and blocking coordinator, working closely with the pin attackers, middle blockers and setters. He also assists with recruiting, scouting and organizing Omaha’s volleyball camps.
Rhodes came to Omaha after spending the 2016 season as a volunteer assistant coach under Kirsten Bernthal-Booth at Creighton. During his stint, the Bluejays went 29-7, reached their first NCAA Elite Eight and won their third straight BIG EAST regular-season and tournament titles. Rhodes was also part of Creighton’s 2016 BIG EAST Volleyball Coaching Staff of the Year, and he coached three AVCA All-Americans, five AVCA All-Region selections, five BIG EAST all-conference picks and the BIG EAST Player of the Year.
Prior to Creighton, Rhodes served four years (2012-16) as an assistant coach at Buena Vista, where he coordinated recruiting, travel and film. Rhodes has also served as a head coach in the Premier Volleyball club organization. A native of Grand Island, Rhodes began his career as a student manager with the Nebraska Cornhuskers volleyball team from 2008-11. He was also a four-year member of the men’s club volleyball program, vice-president of the organization in 2011 and a three-year starting outside hitter, helping the team to three straight NIRSA Sweet 16 appearances.
Like his colleague Pietro, Rhodes deserves a lot of credit for the uptick in talent and success at Omaha the last few seasons and should be in the conversation for replacing Shires or at least staying on staff to continue the upward trend of the program
Michael Runde, Associate Head Coach, South Dakota
I have no idea if Runde is even interested in the opening, but I do know that he spends a lot of time in Nebraska the way it is already while recruiting for the Mavericks’ Summit League foe. A native of Dubuque, Iowa, Runde rejoined the Coyote staff in 2016 after spending the the 2015 season at Southeast Missouri serving as an assistant coach in charge of setters, helped with recruiting, clouting and video analysis.
Runde began his career as the head coach for the Iowa Rocket’s Volleyball Club in Iowa City from 2009-12. He led the club to three USA Volleyball National Championship appearances. Along with coaching the Rockets, he spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons as a manager for the Iowa Hawkeyes. At Iowa, he graduated with a degree in Sports and Recreation business.
Renee Saunders, Head Coach, Skutt Catholic
I think there are a handful of high school coaches here in Nebraska that you could look at as future college coaches, but Saunders seems to be the best fit at the moment for this gig, in my opinion.
I can’t imagine Saunders ever actively looking to leave Skutt Catholic, but I think this is one job that – if approached – she would be willing to listen to. Saunders is the only person ever to be named Nebraska’s top high school athlete and top high school coach by the Omaha World-Herald in a career. After a standout athletic career in volleyball and basketball at Omaha Marian, she went on to the University of Nebraska where she played for Terry Pettit.
She got her start in coaching at Omaha South before moving to Skutt Catholic.
Trish Siedlik, Head Coach, Bellevue University
Siedlik will enter her 14th season at the helm of the Bellevue University volleyball program in 2019 and has taken the Bruins to the NAIA National Tournament in 10 of the past 12 seasons. Under her direction, Siedlik has made the Bruins one of the most consistent powerhouses in NAIA.
Siedlik has a 381-154 (.712) record in 13 seasons at BU and a 505-175 (.743) career record in 17 seasons as a collegiate head coach. Her .743 career winning percentage ranks fifth among active coaches in the NAIA and her 505 wins rank ninth among active NAIA coaches. Siedlik was also the head coach for the Great Plains Tornados in their inaugural season in 2013. The semi-professional league, which is sanctioned by USA Volleyball, is comprised of former collegiate athletes.
Prior to Bellevue, Siedlik was the head coach at College of Saint Mary in Omaha from 2002-2005. During her four years, the Flames compiled a 124-21 record, including a conference record of 60-3, winning four MCAC regular season and tournament titles, two Region IV titles and three NAIA National Tournament appearances, making it to the Elite Eight in 2004.
Siedlik played collegiate volleyball at CSM from 1995-98 and was named the MCAC Player of the Year in 1997 while also earning honorable mention All-American honors.
Rick Squiers, Head Coach, Nebraska-Kearney
In his 20 years at the helm of Nebraska-Kearney, Squiers has a record of 637-88 – good for a winning percentage of 87.9% He has led UNK to 20 NCAA Tournament appearances, three Elite Eight appearances, 15 RMAC (Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference)/MIAA (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association) regular season crowns, nine RMAC/MIAA tournament titles.
Prior to UNK, Squiers was head coach at Hastings College. In his tenure, Squiers’ teams posted a 206-59 record and averaged 34 wins a year. From 1993-98, his teams were a fixture in the NAIA polls. In three of those years (1994, 1996 and 1998), Hastings qualified for the NAIA National Tournament. The Broncos also collected three Nebraska-Iowa Athletic Conference (NIAC) championships (1996-1998). In each of the years Hastings won the league, Squiers was named the NIAC COY.
Before Hastings, Squiers was the head coach at Seward County J.C. in Liberal, Kans. In 1992, he led the Lady Saints to a 28-23 record. Squiers first volleyball coaching job came at Remsem Saint Mary High in Remsen, Ia. In two years, his teams went 73-11, won two conference titles with Squiers being named league Coach of the Year in 1990. His coaching career began in men’s basketball as he was a graduate assistant at Wyoming in 1989. Squiers also coached basketball at the North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton, N.D.
Alicia Williams, Head Coach, Iowa Western
Alicia (Runge) Williams is a former Reiver player and assistant coach, taking over the head coaching job in 2013 after two seasons as the assistant. Her squads have racked up over 40 wins per season, posting an overall record of 245-27.
In 2018, Williams took her team to the National Tournament for the 6th straight year, their 13th overall, a streak that started when Williams was a player in 2006. Iowa Western finished third at the NJCAA National Championships in 2018 and was runner-up in 2016.
As a player, Williams started at Iowa Western in 2006, helping the Reiver’s capture their first ever National Title with a team that still holds the record for victories in a season with 60. After completing her degree at Iowa Western, Williams transferred to Creighton, competing in 2009 & 2010 after redshirting in 2008. As a redshirt junior in 2009, she ranked 3rd on the team in kills. Williams finished her playing career as a team captain for the Bluejays, leading the squad in kills and points en route to the program’s first ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.