In the midst of a tumultuous two weeks for the women’s volleyball team, players are remaining positive despite two players transferring and their coach announcing his retirement.
With coach Andy Banachowski, the face of UCLA women’s volleyball of the past 43 years, announcing his retirement Monday and Amanda Gil and Lauren Cook, both starters this past season for the Bruins, transferring from UCLA last week, players have remained optimistic about the future of the program and their careers with UCLA.
Sophomore middle blocker Katie Camp said the unfolding of the situation over the past two weeks has been rough for her and the Bruins.
“We’re pretty bummed about Lauren and Amanda leaving, but at the same time we don’t want people on our team that don’t want to be on our team,” Camp said. “After that day, we were all like, “˜Well, this happened, now we’re moving forward.’ … We still have the great players, we still have a great team, we’re not really looking back at what happened.”
Camp added she has “no idea” where Gil is going.
Both transfers were a shock and Camp said nobody was expecting them to leave.
Asked if there were ever any hints of her discontent with the team, Camp said Gil would usually “vent” after losses, but given their context, Camp said she did not take the comments seriously.
“She was kind of just venting out things, like, “˜Oh maybe our workouts are too hard,’ or something like that. She just had to say something to get it off her chest. Everyone does,” Camp said.
Nobody else, Camp said, is planning on transferring.
Players comment on coaching search, effects on program
With Banachowski’s departure, Camp maintained that the Bruins need a “total reconstruction of the program.”
Senior Associate Athletic Director Petrina Long told the women’s volleyball team that she has until the expiration of Banachowski’s contract on June 30 to name a new coach of the program. Kim Jagd, Banachowski’s top assistant, may remain with the Bruins, but that depends on the decision of the new coach.
Outside hitter Dicey McGraw said it does not matter to her who the new coach is.
“I’m excited to see who it is, because I trust our UCLA staff, I know that even Andy and Kim are helping look for new coaches,” McGraw said. “Whoever it is, I know its going to be an awesome coach, because they wouldn’t chose any Joe Schmoe.”
McGraw added that the effects of Banachowski’s departure on the program are hard to describe because he is synonymous with the program, being the only coach during its existence, except for a short stint from 1968 to 1970 with Mandi Hardy leading the program.
“It hurts a little bit, for all of volleyball,” Camp said of Banachowski’s departure. “My club coaches, even my middle school coaches have looked up to him, watched his tapes, watched his videos.”
Camp added that her coach’s announcement sent shock waves through the volleyball community.
“It kind of just transcends through the volleyball community as a whole because he was such an idol and for this program to lose him, it’s going to be hard to replace him,” she said.
Camp and junior McGraw have both spoken with recruits and are certain none of them will back out of their commitments with UCLA.
“UCLA is UCLA and I think they want to be Bruins, and they’re still really excited to come,” Camp said.