New head coach at Hamline

Maggie Meixl is the “acting head coach” at Hamline, according to the Pipers’ website. Meixl was most recently an assistant at Hamline.

-Ricky Nelson

Thank you

This graphics-free NCAA Division III women’s volleyball blog has been honored by being named a finalist for the 2016-17 Grant Burger Media Award by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

Being a finalist of the AVCA’s Grant Burger Media Award for the Web means someone really awesome nominated this graphics-free NCAA Division III women’s volleyball blog once again. It also means someone really awesome chose to recognize this no-frills blog from among the list of nominees. I am truly thankful.

From the AVCA website:

The AVCA Grant Burger Media Award is an honor intended to recognize members of the media who have been involved in the advancement of the sport of volleyball, whether it be through consistent coverage in all mediums (sports information, print, broadcasting, web content, college student reporter and social media), production of volleyball-specific publications or extensive radio and/or television exposure. It is named in honor of Grant Burger, former Director of Sports Information and Associate Director of the AVCA (1988-92), whose hard work, innovative mind, knowledge and enthusiasm took the areas of media relations and publications at the AVCA to a higher level and increased awareness of the sport of volleyball nationwide.

As it says in the About Me Page, this blog started as an element of a larger journalism class project in 2007. My project partner and I received a fine grade for our efforts, but an award from the AVCA? That was not something I thought possible even yesterday.

I get great feedback about this blog — positive and negative — because the NCAA Division III women’s volleyball community is engaged and passionate. The tone of the blog has changed somewhat due to my desire for gainful employment, which, perhaps ironically, has curbed the breadth of my volleyball viewing over the past few years. I, too, sometimes miss the version of the blog that had hot takes and verbose recaps. The current iteration of this blog is essentially a picture-free newspaper containing concise facts with the occasional indulgent op-ed.

Picture-free newspapers are not award bait, so I am very thankful the underdog gets this sliver of the spotlight. It takes an increasingly rare perspective to see this blog as award-worthy. You have to try pretty hard to find this bland space as I don’t have any social media accounts to promote it. In 2008 — my first full year — this blog received 1,615 views. After more than 1,400 posts, this blog has now surpassed 200,000 views and 26,000 visitors, including more than 1,500 in one day last November. I honestly and sincerely learned most of those numbers minutes before you just did.

The statistical minutia is not a pat on the back. It is a thank you. There are not many options for NCAA Division III women’s volleyball blogs, but I am thankful that you have apparently passed along this picture-free newspaper within the engaged and passionate community. Taking the steps to nominate this blog for an award is a reflection of you more than it is of me. This blog would not exist if there were not volleyball players, coaches, fans, sports information directors, etc.

The AVCA Grant Burger Media Award for the Web is a tremendous honor. However, this blog will probably continue to disseminate NCAA Division III women’s volleyball info in medicinal form, devoid of pictures and anything else that makes for pleasurable viewing, because the purpose and intent of this blog was never to highlight what I can do. And just between us, there is not much I can do well anyway.

Thank you.

Yours in volleyball,
Ricky Nelson

UWL announces new coach

Amber Dunn was named the new head coach at Wisconsin-La Crosse today. Dunn was most recently the head coach at SUNY Geneseo.

-Ricky Nelson

Rust heads to NAIA

The conundrum that Rust College created in the recent past is now moot as the institution was granted membership in the NAIA.

I’d spewed a decent number of words over the years regarding Rust’s eligibility for Division III championships. Rust, a former Division III independent located in Mississippi, was never close to qualifying for the volleyball championship, but its eligibility affected the access ratio used to determine Pool B bids. That posed a problem because, according to my math, the access ratio was nearing thresholds that would tip the scales in terms of the number of Pool B berths to the championship.

Adding fuel to my rather mild fire was the fact that most people I talked to about the situation had no idea what or who I was talking about and/or did not seem to care why Rust’s eligibility potentially mattered.

Good luck in the NAIA, Rust Bearcats!

-Ricky Nelson

SMU elevates Kiecker to head coach

Saint Mary’s (Minn.) named Jackie Kiecker as its head coach today. She was most recently an assistant at SMU.

-Ricky Nelson