Pacific Index

 Rachel Renville starts her first season as head volleyball coach

Sitting up straight in her office chair, Head Volleyball Coach Rachel Renville rests with a smile across her face. She displays a calm and collected presence, but on the inside is buzzing with excitement and passion. This is her first fall season as the head coach for the Pacific University volleyball team, and she’s more than ready to compete. 

Renville took over the team as head coach in the spring, and has utilized her time with the team to prepare for the new season. “The offseason helped me learn each player more,” Renville explained. “I didn’t really get to see as much of them last fall in certain positions, so this offseason it was great to see them branch out and what their baseline capabilities were.” 

Renville is no stranger to the Boxer volleyball program, as she was the assistant coach to former Head Coach Kip Yoshimura. As she strengthens her role as head coach, Renville continues to deepen her relationships with the players. Shifting her role from assistant to head coach has been a fun, yet smooth transition for the program. “I think we have a good level of trust among the group. They know what I am doing is what I think is best for the overall group.”

Joining Renville’s team is her new coaching staff: Sara Parker and Emma Wickett. Parker takes on the assistant coach position and head JV coach, while former Boxer Wickett joins as an assistant coach. Parker enters her seventh year as a college coach, her first with Pacific after leaving Indiana. Parker played collegiately for five seasons herself, and after earning her degree she decided she wanted to keep coaching. “I knew that coaching was my place,” Parker expressed. “I love the connections that you get to make and the relationships you get to build.” She voiced that she enjoys being a part of something bigger than herself. 

Wickett started her coaching career off with an internship under Renville this past spring, then graduated with a degree in sports management from Pacific. She is a former member of the Boxer volleyball squad and is ecstatic to continue to work with the team. “I was a Sports Management major at Pacific and I knew I wanted to do something within sports, but I was unsure of what,” Wickett explained. “After doing my internship with Coach Renville, I realized that coaching is something that I really wanted to do.” Wickett explained how her role change from teammate to coach has been a bit strange for her, but very rewarding. “Seeing the team grow has been freaking amazing,” she shared. “I love volleyball and I love this program,” 

The connections between both the staff and players is a huge priority for the group of coaches. “When taking this position I noticed how I connected with Rachel on the relationships that you build with your players— I think that it is huge,” Assistant Coach Parker explained. “Being able to build these relationships and have those lifelong after their four years here is very important.”

Building the team connection and also a routine in the offseason has created more opportunities for the players to strengthen their skills, but also test out different abilities. “It really opened up the opportunity to see what they’re really capable of,” Renville shared. Some of the changes to the program’s offseason training included more strength lifts and defensive work. “So far this fall our defensive work has looked really good,” Renville stated. The team has taken the coaching change as a great opportunity to rebuild and improve the team. “We have a good open line of communication and people are excited to come in and compete,” she expressed. 

The team is already starting off the season in a stronger place than they were in years past. “Everyone has stepped up their game so much,” Renville commented. “Everyone has a set of skills that would be so valuable on the court.” Now the coaching staff is looking at who is going to gel with who, and who are going to be the leaders of the team. Some of the true cornerstones of the team are the three captains of the squad; Alyssa Cargill, Emma Velchek, and Anneke Hanson. “I think the three of them are going to kind of hold down the fort right now, and there are countless other girls who are really going to make an impact this year,” Renville said with excitement.

With so much hope and excitement for the upcoming season, Coach Renville is ready for her players to have fun and enjoy their time out on the court. “I am excited to see them really happy in a game and to enjoy the present moment,” stated Renville. When it comes to the competition side, the staff and team feel more than ready to get into action. “Don’t underestimate us,” Renville stated with confidence. “There were girls on the team who were underestimated all of their years here and I think that these girls are going to surprise some people by the unrecognized talent that was here all along.”