Deane Webb has brought early success to the Ohio Volleyball program in his first year as coach.
The list of “first time since” goes on for Ohio Volleyball this year, and a lot of credit goes out to the athletes for the achievements and the hard work that they’ve gone through in order to get to this point.
With a record of 15-4 overall, fans can say Ohio is off to a tremendous start and here’s why: the team is 8-0 in the Mid-American Conference for the first time since 2009; the Bobcats are holding MAC opponents to a .121 hitting percentage; and they are averaging 2.45 blocks per set against MAC opponents. Both are MAC highs.
Although, there is a coaching staff that stands behind them. It’s a new coaching staff that are a crucial part of the success. This staff is headed by first-year coach Deane Webb, who already has been nicknamed “The Deane of Ohio Volleyball” by the team’s media relations representative Mike Ashcraft. Webb stands alongside his own hand-picked assistants in Ariel Apolinario, Maggie Johnson and Mike Shearer. All have worked endlessly to continue the success of this program and it’s obvious that their efforts are working.
Webb is the third coach in Ohio Volleyball history to start out MAC play 8-0 as a first year head coach. Geoff Carlston did it as a first-year coach in 2003 and Mike Lessinger was the first to do it in 2000.
Although if this was brought to Webb’s attention he would smile, acknowledge this as a cool fact and focus on what’s really important, which is Ohio’s next opponent.
His goal is to make Ohio dominant as a team and he wants to build multiple weapons so opposing teams can’t defend against Ohio easily. Repeatedly in his weekly Monday press conferences at Peden, Webb states that it’s always his duty to be dissatisfied and make his girls better.
Webb’s challenging drills in practice improve the team. He’ll compliment the rights and critique the wrongs. He’s an active teacher and a high motivator. Often his team will come up short in the drill and after multiple attempts, he’ll gather them in a circle and encourage them through speech. After that, Ohio usually succeeds in the drill on the next go-around.
Webb will also let the girls scrimmage each other, and one can feel the competitive drive in Ohio during these encounters. Sometimes it’s the best volleyball one will ever see.
After a win, Webb is already focusing on the next opponent. On the way back from the Millennium Hotel Invitational win at Xavier, Webb ordered his team ice cream for their success and asked his Director of Operations Kate Broshears, to give him the information on the team’s next opponent.
Unlike most others on that bus ride, Webb never went to sleep. The only thing on his mind was the team that Ohio faced next.
Webb and his staff have been doing a phenomenal job at this point in the season and the success will continue. With the talent on this team plus the depth, the drive, and the focus, he will get this team to where they want to go.
It’ll be interesting in the future when it’s Webb’s recruits playing in green and white, and one may ask, will he be just as successful? Of course.
Through Deane Webb, Ohio Volleyball was at their best yesterday. However, they will be better today and they will definitely be better tomorrow.
@ouscoophromada
jh418513@ohio.edu
