YOUNGTOWN — Ever since her playing career at Mount Union ended, Riley Jarrett knew she wanted to be a head college volleyball coach.
After starting as a graduate assistant at Division II West Liberty (West Virginia) in 2018, Jarrett's coaching career includes a brief stint at Division III Penn State Behrend as an assistant coach in 2020; He then returned to West Liberty for a coaching job later that year, which included taking over as manager.
“I’m really passionate about volleyball, so I knew I wanted my own program,” Jarrett said. “I was 24 years old at the time. I definitely knew I had a lot to learn, but I knew I wanted to be a head coach and this was a great opportunity for me at the time. Throughout my career, I have really tried to build something special at West Liberty.”
Now, Jarrett has done coaching work in Division II and Division III, reaching the top of Division I. Earlier this month, Youngstown State University added its 11th head volleyball coach in program history in Jarrett.
Jarrett replaces Aline Scott, who resigned at the end of February to pursue opportunities outside of coaching.
“I'm really excited about this opportunity. I continue to reassure everyone that it will be a positive change,” Jarrett said in a phone interview Friday. “Being able to go to the Division I side was huge. Just talking to everyone at Youngstown, that's what attracted me. (Athletic director) Ron Strollo is amazing. He's You do so much for the YSU Athletics Department. Jennifer Timkiw, the volleyball supervisor, showed me the amount of support and types of resources I would receive. It definitely gave me an edge in the job.”
Jarrett said that when he first visited YSU for his interview, he was blown away by the campus. Ms. Jarrett, who is from Lorain, added that she is even happier to be back in Northeast Ohio, closer to her home.
During his four seasons at West Liberty, Jarrett posted the highest career winning percentage in program history and led the Hilltoppers to their first-ever two appearances in the Division II NCAA Tournament.
“Riley is someone who brings the energy and love for the game that our student-athletes want and that we need to move this program in the competitive direction we all want,” Strollo said in a press release. I found it.'' “She has a history of success as a head coach at West Liberty and also has ties to the area prior to her coaching career, having been born and raised near Cleveland and playing at Mount Union. We are excited about the future with Riley leading our program.”
Jarrett has been fully committed since her hiring was first announced on April 9th.
She spends most of her time focused on roster management, getting to know the Penguins' current and returning players, as well as continuing to recruit in the transfer portal to fill open roster spots and adding potential players for next season. We are considering the possibility of high school students.
“It's been a big part of our recruiting efforts to try to get athletes on campus that we think can help turn this around,” Jarrett said. “I practiced with my current team for a week, so I was with them in practice and I got to really get to know them. I really listened to them – what do we like? ?What didn't they like? Really listening to their opinions and stories helped me understand how to fit in this summer and into preseason.''
The Penguins have eight players from the current roster committed to return, including sophomores Abby Householder and Julia Sell, and seniors who each played more than 100 sets for YSU last season. They include Dayan Malabe and Isabel Schaffbauer.
“It was a breath of fresh air talking to (the returnees),” Jarrett said. “I think they're all very dedicated and there's a reason why they stayed in Youngstown. They want to be a part of this change and they're hungry for it. They're hungry for a competitive edge. They're hungry for structure, they're hungry for intense practice. I feel like my relationship with them is going really well.”
In addition to the four high school signees from November (Andrea Cintron, Kelsey Cooper, Elsie McCutchen and Julianna Rivera) still scheduled to be part of the program next season, Jarrett recently announced that – Added two more players since hiring, including Settler. , Teagan Ng, a libero transferred from West Liberty, a high school outside hitter signed from Sunbury, who originally signed with Jarrett at West Liberty.
“Nia is someone I coached for four years at West Liberty. To be honest, she is a big reason why West Liberty has been so successful. … Not just her skills at the libero position, but overall. Culturally, we're really excited to have her,” Jarrett said. “Teagan Ng was someone I recruited very early on and was a big draw for West Liberty at the Division II level. I would argue that she could have already played at the Division I level. She and I have a great relationship from coach to player. She's a great volleyball player overall and will be a great player in the Horizon League.”
Jarrett said he wants to build the Penguins program around four key principles: accountability, passion, respect and appreciation.
But on the floor, Jarrett likes to have “versatility” offensively, which comes from being a setter in his playing days. She also wants diversity in her players.
“That's kind of my philosophy, always making sure we distribute the ball well, making sure we're less predictable offensively, getting more hitters involved, and making sure we're not an easy team to scout. It was,” Jarrett said. ”
But Jarrett wants to be “realistic” in the short term.
YSU hasn't had a winning season since 2014, and Jarrett cautions it will take time to develop a vision for the program.
“Of course we all want to get from zero to 100 quickly, but we want to be realistic. It will take time to implement this. It won't happen overnight. ” she said. “Next year we want to play in the Horizon League tournament. The top six qualify and that’s our goal. We want to get back there and if it’s realistic. I think that's a great goal.
“If we can get buy-in for the little things, big things will happen. In the long term, we want to aim for the top of the Horizon and be a respected program in the Horizon League. Aiming for a top-three finish.” We want to compete. And obviously we need to create a program that is well known and that recruits want to come to.”
Do you have any interesting stories? Email Neel Madhavan at nmadhavan@tribtoday.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @NeelMadhavan.