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Kohler hired as new FHSU volleyball coach
1/8/2009
By CONOR NICHOLL
cnicholl@dailynews.net
Kurt Kohler had been a head volleyball coach for nine years, including the 2005 season at Barton County Community College, a year that yielded a 36-11 record and a No. 14 national ranking. After 2005, Barton County was rocked by problems and every sport was placed on probation. Kohler was asked to become the athletic director and stay on as volleyball coach. Because of Barton's difficulties, Kohler had to leave coaching.
"It was just too big of a challenge to come in and take care of our probationary needs as well as coach," he said. "I felt at that time that it was more important to get our program compliant again to do the things that we needed to do to clean up that program, so I did step away from coaching for that reason, but the passion has always been there."
Two and a half years later, Kohler is back as head volleyball coach. On Wednesday afternoon, Kohler was introduced as the new Fort Hays State University volleyball coach at Victor E. Lounge inside Gross Memorial Coliseum. Kohler replaces four-year coach Steve Smith who resigned after a 9-25 season this fall.
"His true loe is coaching volleyball and when we contacted him and he indicated an interest in coming here," Fort Hays president Edward Hammond said at the press conference. "It was very clear that he wants to be a volleyball coach more than an athletic director."
Kohler, who will earn $42,000, was one of 34 candidates that applied for the position. He has a career record of 137-30 in five high school coaching seasons at a 89-44 mark at three seasons of community college coaching, two at Allen County and one at Barton. Kohler also served as assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at Div. II Missouri Western State University in 2004. Assistant coach Fernanda Domingos will be retained under Kohler.
"We had someone that was very knowledgeable about volleyball, that was very knowledgeable about Kansas volleyball, knows a lot of high school coaches throughout the state, knows a lot of the club coaches throughout the state and most importantly for me, believes in the kinds of things that we believe in at Fort Hays," Hammond said.
The Tigers have struggled since they switched from the Rocky Mountation Athletic Conference to the MIAA three years ago. Under Smith, the Tigers finished 28-67 in the last three seasons, including a 5-41 mark in conference play. They were tenth in the 11-team conference this season with a 2-18 record and finished the year on a 14-match losing streak, the longest since 2000.
"When I talk to people around the state about the opportunity here, I too heard nothing but positive things about the school," Kohler said. So many coaches, so many people around the state encouraged me that if you get offered this position, that you take it. Don't look back. I really have a passion to get back into coaching, so it is really going to be a wonderful chance here."
Fort Hays struggled with offense in 2008 and ranked last in the conference in errors (877) and second to last in hitting percentage (.134). They will return one all-conference player, outside hitter Lilian Rezende. Defensively, Fort Hays was last in the MIAA by a significant margin in blocks per game (1.40). The Tiger players also had a disconnect with Smith throughout the season and just one game against a ranked opponent. FHSU never beat a ranked team in Smith's four years, a problem in the MIAA, a conference where 4-5 teams are usually ranked. Kohler will bring a different style, a focus on fundamentals and athleticism.
"What you will see from a team that I would coach would be a very aggressive team, one that is focused on the defensive end," Kohler said. "We try to run a very quick offense, so the size of the kid is not going to matter as much as their athletic ability. They need to be quick and they need to play hard. That is what we try to instill everyday in practice. We try to come in and work hard and try to get our offense as quick as we can to be able to freeze blockers at the net on the other side. I think that is how we are going to be beat some of these top-10 ranked teams that are in our conference."
Kohler is also interested in developing a club program in western Kansas. Many colleges recruit liberally from the club ranks and develop local players to possibly play for the college. Washburn University, a MIAA power, draws from club teams, while two-time national champion Concordia St. Paul has all but one player from Minnesota, including many from the St. Paul region.
"We would benefit immensely by having a strong club program," Kohler said. "I think there is enough kids to draw from western Kansas. ... It is important for us here to develop a strong program and bring kids in that have the talent."
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| SB | 03/08 | Fort Lewis | W 5-4 |
| BB | 03/07 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 13-7 |
| BB | 03/06 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 16-4 |
| BB | 03/06 | No. 9 Emporia State | W 3-0 |
| MB | 03/05 | Emporia State | L 65-61 |
| BB | 03/05 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 10-3 |
| WB | 03/04 | No. 15 Emporia | L 72-66 |
| WB | 02/28 | No. 12 Emporia State | L 87-80 |
| MB | 02/28 | Emporia State | W 94-47 |
| SB | 02/28 | Quincy | L 6-0 |
| SB | 02/27 | Mo Southern | W 9-3 |
| SB | 02/27 | Missouri S&T | L 8-3 |
| SB | 02/27 | Drury | W 17-10 |
| BB | 02/27 | Mo. Western | W 17-0 |
| BB | 02/27 | Mo. Western | W 3-2 (10 inn.) |
| BB | 02/26 | Mo. Western | W 12-8 |
| BB | 02/26 | Missouri Western | W 11-10 |
| MB | 02/24 | Pittsburg State | W 69-60 |
| WB | 02/24 | Pittsburg State | L 78-74 |
| MB | 02/21 | Mo. Southern | L 76-57 |