By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The trajectory speaks for itself when talking about the direction of the Tennessee Tech volleyball team under head coach Jeannette Waldo. In just two short seasons, the Golden Eagles have shown vast improvement and look to keep the momentum flowing into 2020 and beyond.
Tech fans can rest assured that it will be Waldo continuing the charge towards an Ohio Valley Conference championship as she recently received a contract extension through the 2024 campaign.
"With all of the uncertainty surrounding sports right now, it is very comforting to earn the opportunity to continue to build this program in the right way," Waldo expressed. "I want to thank President [Phil] Oldham and [Tech director of athletics] Mark Wilson for having faith in our program and in our staff to continue to grow and ride the momentum we've established so far. Rebuilding takes time, and it is a blessing to work somewhere that understands the process."
Waldo took over the reins of the Golden Eagle volleyball program prior to the 2018 season and made an instant impact. In her first season, the purple and gold more than doubled its win output from a tough 2017 campaign, finishing 11-19 and 5-11 in the league.
"Jeannette has truly made an impact in her short time with us," Wilson said. "Her student-athletes are succeeding both on the court and in the classroom while displaying the very character we expect from a Golden Eagle. I have no doubt great things await this program under her direction and I am excited to see this team continue to grow and achieve at the next level."
In year two, Tech took another huge step towards the ultimate goal of competing for an OVC title and trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Eagles posted their best overall and league records since 2014, completing the year at 13-17 and a four-match improvement of 9-7 in OVC play.
Finishing in a tie for fifth place, Tech earned the seventh seed in the OVC Tournament (after tiebreakers), making their first trip to the league's postseason event since 2015. The team fell to eventual champion Southeast Missouri in the first round, 3-1, but narrowly missed forcing a fifth set with a 28-26 defeat in the fourth.
"I am very proud of the great strides we have already made here at Tech in the past two seasons," Waldo explained, "but I am looking forward to everything that still stands before us. We have lofty goals, and with this group of talented and passionate coaches and players, we can absolutely achieve and surpass them."
Two Golden Eagles earned postseason recognition from the league for their efforts in 2019, the first All-OVC nods for the purple and gold since the 2015 season. Ali Verzani claimed a spot on the All-OVC First Team after ranking in the top-10 in the league in points (third), kills (fourth) and service aces (sixth). Taylor Dorsey earned a Second Team honor while finishing second in the OVC in blocks and sixth in points.
Setter Ashley Hand established herself as a future All-OVC performer during her first year as a full-time starter, ranking fourth in the league in assists.
"Our players have shown incredible dedication to accomplishing goals that this program has either never achieved or hasn't reached in quite some time," Waldo said. "They do the right things when no one is watching and they truly care about leaving this program in a better place than when they entered into it. I am inspired by them and I am so excited about what we will accomplish together."
Named the eighth head coach in program history back on Dec. 22, 2017, Waldo spent the prior four months at Missouri State as the Lady Bears' assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, helping MSU to the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles and the program's first-ever undefeated season in conference play.
The Lady Bears made their 13th NCAA Tournament appearance and ended their 2017 season with a 28-6 record, achieving the No. 25 ranking in the AVCA Division I Coaches top-25 poll multiple times throughout the year.
Before arriving at Missouri State, Waldo coached at Green Bay from May 2014 to August 2017 and was promoted from assistant coach to associate head coach in December 2016. She also handled recruiting for the duration of her time in Wisconsin. The Phoenix vastly improved in Waldo's three seasons aboard, posting a 21-9 record in the 2016 season after going 5-21 in 2014. The team appeared in the Horizon League tournament in 2015 and 2016 and reached the 2016 tournament championship for the first time since 2003.
Prior to Green Bay, Waldo worked for two seasons at OVC program Belmont as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. The Bruins won the OVC Tournament and earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2012, Waldo's first year at Belmont and the program's first year in the conference. They also reached the conference tournament in 2013.
Waldo got her start on a collegiate staff in 2011, spending August to December at Minnesota as a volunteer assistant. The Golden Gophers earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 that year.
A defensive specialist and two-time team captain, Waldo was a four-year letterwinner at William Jewell College, a Division II program in Liberty, Mo., from 2002 to 2006. She graduated from WJC in May 2006 with a bachelor of arts in organizational communication and earned her education certification from Avila University in December 2010.
"Volleyball is an exciting sport to watch, even if you don't know anything about the sport," Waldo said. "The community of Cookeville and the students of Tech should know that our group will be particularly exciting to watch after all of the hard work they have put in and how itchy they are to compete."
Admission to all Tech volleyball games is free to the public.
Photo by Thomas Corhern
