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10/14/2016 12:00 AMAfter competing in the SCC and then beginning her coaching career in the league, Alyssa Dunn joined the Guilford volleyball program this fall and she’s ready to help the Indians continue their success well into the future.
Alyssa played the back row for Jonathan Law High School in Milford before hitting the intramural ranks at Quinnipiac University, where she majored in English and earned her master’s in secondary education. After serving as a volunteer assistant with Sheehan volleyball in 2014, Alyssa, an English teacher at Guilford, discovered there was an opening on the Indians’ coaching staff. Alyssa decided to go for it and now she’s the new head coach of the freshman volleyball team.
“I knew Guilford had a vacancy at the freshman coach position. I also knew [previous freshman coach Kristy Kehoss] through a mutual friend,” recalls Alyssa, whose team is 4-4 thus far this year. “I was given [Head Coach Laura Meyer’s] contact information, spoke with her, and went from there.”
As a coach in the entry level of the program, Alyssa adheres to the philosophy that every girl should not only get her fair chance to see the court, but should also get a sample of different positions, while getting much enjoyment from the game.
“For freshmen especially, it’s about getting the foundation of the skills. I want to allow all the girls the opportunity to play and play different positions. I want them to get a sense of all aspects of the game. It’s about having fun and a good time with the game,” Alyssa says. “I love it when they are having a good time. When you see them pick each other up or cheering each other on from the bench, it’s great to see because you can’t teach that.”
Coach Meyer says Alyssa was right person for the job for multiple reasons and adds that she’s already seen great progress on the freshman squad.
“Alyssa was actually recommended by our prior freshman coach Kristy Kehoss. Kristy knew Alyssa was a new hire and knew she played volleyball in the past,” says Meyer. “Alyssa has been a good addition to our coaching staff. She has prior knowledge of the sport, which is very helpful with the freshman team. She has stayed and helped with JV and varsity games to see how the program works and get to know the girls. The freshman team is improving every game.”
Quality service is essential at the freshman level, but Alyssa is also emphasizing plenty of other things to her athletes, so that they’re well-prepared for the next step.
“Serving is the main thing we teach at this level because so many points go to the other team with missed serves. We have them do overhand serves rather than underhanded ones,” says Alyssa. “We also work on controlled passing, so we have proper volleys. The idea of a pass at the JV and varsity levels is to pass to the setter, then to the hitter for the kill. We also started working on doing rotations.”
Guilford’s freshman team shares the floor with its two other volleyball squads and Alyssa says the athletes on all three teams are bonding together well this season. That camaraderie helps all the newcomers feel welcome while they learn about the sport and grow as both players and people.
“We have a close-knit group. We all practice on the same court as the JV and varsity. It’s a tight space, so you become close with each other. I also love seeing how the freshman and JV team stay and cheer on varsity during their matches,” says Alyssa. “In a game or practice for the freshman team, it’s a struggle with serving, so to see them get that serve over the net is very rewarding to me.”