Winona State University hired a new women’s volleyball head coach, Tricia Melfy. Coach Melfy’s plans are simple: she wants to qualify for the Nationals by being in the top four of the playoffs, and make volleyball more famous on the Winona campus.
Melfy started her journey in New Jersey before finishing high school in Arizona. She did not play volleyball until her junior year in high school because track and field was her passion. She completed her undergraduate degree from Arizona State University where she received an athletic scholarship for track and field. Her journey with the volleyball team started with a walk-in tryout.
As an athlete, her athleticism assisted with the volleyball team. As a player, her career might be short, but as a coach, she has a long career. She started coaching right after graduating from college.
Melfy came to Winona State with 25 years of coaching experience. She has experience as a high school physical education teacher and volleyball coach. In addition, she was an assistant coach at Minot State University. She was also the head coach for the University of Minnesota Morris.
She has previous Division II experience. She has been at East Stroudsburg University for six years. Before coming to Winona State, she won a conference-level tournament there.
“NSIC is the best volleyball conference in the country. When I was at Minot, I experienced a lot of different universities in the NSIC. Winona was beautiful. I was like, wow, someday I would love to lead this program,” Melfy said.
She is planning to recruit her assistant coaches soon. She mentioned that multiple people had already shown interest in those positions. She will be able to hire three assistant coaches.
Student athletes aren’t the only ones who are excited to have a new coach on staff. Director of Athletics, Jen Flowers is ready for this new addition to the Winona State athletics community too.
“I am thrilled to welcome Coach Melfy to Winona State. Her experience and history of success align with the goals of our program. Coach Melfy will lead a student-centered approach, and I am anxious for her to make an impact on our volleyball program and athletics department.”
She mentioned that she is honored to be at Winona State. She is excited to work with the young group of women. And it is her privilege to lead them. After starting at Winona State, she had only three days with the team.“The team comes with high energy, competitiveness, eager to learn, coachable, and excited. We’ve got potential here,” Melfy said,
Melfy is confident with the team. She mentioned that she is hoping to qualify for the nationals every year. She is also thinking of recruiting new players. Melfy also has plans outside the court. She wants the ground to be full of people when the team plays. It will boost the confidence of the athletes and make the arena energetic.
Former records of Melfy tell us that she knows how to create champion teams. She also developed her position every time she switched jobs. If she can keep this record on track, she is going to seal the deal for the Warriors.
