ETSU women’s volleyball team began rebuilding earlier this year, starting with the new head coach Benavia Jenkins.
Jenkins came to ETSU with a stellar background of volleyball. This is her first collegiate head coaching position. However, Jenkins has been assistant coaching for years.
Before ETSU, Jenkins coached at the University of South Florida for three years. Prior to that, she coached at Coastal Carolina University, where the team went to the NCAA Tournament. Jenkins has also played professional volleyball and began her coaching years after retiring from the professional leagues.
The 2019-20 women’s volleyball team is composed of 13 students: one senior, one junior, four sophomores and seven freshmen. The team must work together through the season to gain trust and build a strong connection with each other if they want to achieve the same success as the 2018-19 season.
“The team has done well bonding together so far,” says senior Kaela Massey. “Since the freshmen came in, there have been no cliques and everyone is meshing together great.”
Jenkins agrees that everyone has come in with positive attitudes and a will to learn. “Freshmen come in and I am able to build them into the type of player I want them to be,” said Jenkins.
“It’s fun watching them compete and have fun at the same time,” said Jenkins.
Being the only senior on the team, Massey understands the role she plays for the team. She steps up and takes leadership, helps the freshmen with anything they need. She said they pay attention, and they want to learn. For Massey, it’s not just a leadership role, but for the other returning players on the team as well, and they all take up the responsibilities the same.
“It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish,” says Jenkins.
She tells this to the women along with their team motto, “Do your job.”
You can catch the women’s volleyball team at their exhibition match Friday, Aug. 23, at Appalachian State University as the Bucs take on the Mountaineers.
You must be logged in to post a comment.