FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Eastern Washington volleyball assistant coach
Taylor Muff traveled with the Evergreen Region Volleyball Association (EVGR) Girls All-Star U17 team for the 2023 USA Volleyball All-Star Championships. The tournament was held from July 19-23 and offered Muff the opportunity to further develop coaching relationships and skills.
"This was a great opportunity for me as a young coach. I've been taking on a bigger role, on the staff as the recruiting coordinator and working with [Evergreen] has really helped me broaden my range," Muff explained. "I've connected with club coaches and learned who runs what at the local level. It's been great to develop those relationships."
Along with connecting with coaches, Muff enjoyed working with the U17 players. "I get to work with a whole new set of girls and it's fun to implement a whole new system to implement. The other coaches and I can tailor our strategy to fit them. The system is much more important.
"The tournament is almost a college prep course for them. We keep tabs on them and they're responsible for getting themselves up in the morning and to bed at night. They're responsible for their own recovery and scheduling any treatment."
The All-Star Championships played under international rules, with some slight differences from the college game, including the regulation ball being a different size. There are fewer substitutions allowed, with both middle blockers having to serve and the libero being unable to serve.
Muff began working with the Evergreen team in May when the team held its tryouts for the Championships in Florida. She became involved with the Evergreen Region girls' team after connecting with former EWU head coach Leslie Flores-Cloud, who is the EVGR All-Star & Coaching education program director.
"Leslie reached out to me about coaching the all-star team and she has been very welcoming," Muff explained. "She has a great heart and has been nothing but supportive of the coaches and players at Eastern. She wants us to be successful."
During the tournament, Muff was reunited on the coaching staff with her former teammate at Northern Colorado and current Montana State assistant coach, Taylor Els. The two played together at UNC from 2017-19.
"It's really great sharing this experience with [Els] and it feels somewhat like back to our college days," Muff described. " Being on different staffs is definitely different, but we really learn from each other and how to navigate being young coaches. We can combine our efforts and it helped to share our lives in that setting."
Eastern Washington will begin its season on Aug. 22 at Reese Court with an exhibition game against Central Washington. The regular season begins on the road against CSU Bakersfield on Aug. 25.
ABOUT ERVA
Evergreen Region Volleyball Association is a Region of USA Volleyball, whose primary function is to lead, serve, and develop the sport of volleyball for all ages, genders, and abilities. Our vision is to grow the number of players, coaches, officials, spectators, and other volleyball enthusiasts through high quality education and competition, providing a lifetime of opportunities for all to participate in a safe and positive environment.
All board positions in the Evergreen Region (ERVA) are held by volunteers. The work that is accomplished is a function of the talents, time commitment, and dedication of these volunteers, full-time staff members, and the affected people and groups.
New for the 2023-24 season, the EWU Women's Sports Pass gives fans access to over 30 Eagle Athletics events, including volleyball, soccer and women's basketball for only $5 per game! Learn more and get yours today at goeags.com/tickets or call 509-359-6056.
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.
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