Elon’s newest volleyball head coach looks to build player-coach connections

When Matt Troy took the head coaching job for Elon University’s volleyball team, he saw it as an opportunity to grow as a coach. Troy previously hadn’t heard much about Elon’s volleyball program but after watching film of the team, he believed they had potential that could be built upon once the season begins in August. Last year, Elon finished 11-18.

While Troy does plan on incorporating a few things such as an up-tempo offense, he isn’t looking to change everything about the team. Elon will have 11 returning players next year, and Troy recognizes how tight-knit most of the players are going back to former head coach Mary Tendler’s tenure. Tendler spent the last 22 seasons coaching Elon where she won over 300 games. 

Troy said he made it a priority to know the players on the team so he could get a better understanding of who they are. He and his staff have also started recruiting players in preparation for the fall. 

“One of the first things I did coming in is I started to put meetings into play,” Troy said. “Once we started in February, I have them in my office every week and just get to know them.”

Troy said he’ll typically ask the players questions about their lives such as their personal interests or how they’re doing in school. He doesn’t want to know them as only volleyball players. 

“We’re invested in them as players of course, but also as people,” Troy said. 

When it comes to volleyball, Troy finds it easier to apply his offense from his previous coaching jobs, which he acknowledges is different from the offense they ran in the fall. During Troy’s most recent stint at Johns Hopkins, he compiled a 151-17 record which included an appearance in the 2019 NCAA Division III Championship. His career record in 14 seasons is 357-96.

Troy said he uses practices as an opportunity to get the players accustomed to his offense. The practices resemble most game simulations with lots of gameplay in an attempt to replicate game-like scenarios.

Although Troy recognized it might take some time to be fully effective, he is fine with this philosophy.

“In practice, it’s a lot of six on six and learning within the gameplay,” Troy said. “We’re willing to take some chances in our practices, and we might make some mistakes but we’re going to be better because of that.”

Troy also counts on the players to express their thoughts in practice. He believes that giving them ownership of the team will allow them to be more invested going forward. 

So far players including junior Cameron Lanier have admired Troy’s efforts in building connections with everyone on the team. She said Troy has been friendly and said she has gotten to know him better through one-on-one meetings.  

“Almost every week we do one-on-one meetings with him, and we watch film or go over questions that we have,” Lanier said. “That’s been really nice because he cares about us and wants us to get better.”

Troy said he’s invested in watching film of plays. He believes it’s an opportunity to really break down everything without worrying about performing a particular skill. 

Lanier said Troy hasn’t been afraid to incorporate new ideas during practice either. She believes the team has already shown glimpses of how effective Troy’s up-tempo strategy could be. 

She also said Troy sets high expectations for practice when the team is scrimmaging against each other. She said Troy expects everyone to practice the way they’d compete in an actual game. 

“He holds us to a high standard in practice and wants us to hold each other to a high standard,” Lanier said. “He’s always mentioning that which is nice because it’s true.”

Through Troy’s first few months on the job, he has found the players to be very receptive of his approach toward building connections along with the style of practices. 

He hopes to continue developing relationships among the players before the season through team activities whether it’s having dinner at his house or team road trips. 

“They’re brought into it pretty well,” Troy said. “One of my hopes is that a lot of our activities start taking place in the fall. And I think it’s fun when they’re a bit more genuine and not always planned.”