NVOLLEY082207

StarTribune.com content is available via e-mail, mobile devices and as RSS feeds.

Mobile content

Advertise with us

Home | Local + Metro | North Metro

Coach returns with new résumé, perspective

Older and wiser, new Spring Lake Park volleyball coach Sarah Herlofsky is ready to win matches while teaching players about the virtues of athletics.

By David La Vaque, Star Tribune

Last update: August 21, 2007 - 11:15 AM

New Spring Lake Park volleyball coach Sarah Herlofsky is a familiar face, but insists she is a different person.

She coached the Panthers in the 1997 and 1998 seasons, a stint she believed suffered from her lack of perspective. Now 34 and boasting an additional decade of coaching experiences on her résumé -- including the past two as a Panthers' assistant -- Herlofsky feels ready to develop players and enrich young women.

At Columbia Heights she was Sarah Ward, a middle hitter for the Hylanders dominant teams in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She played on two state championship teams and went on to play at the University of North Carolina.

She spoke with Star Tribune North reporter David La Vaque about her better grasp of the big picture of coaching and her team's outlook.

Q Tell me about the struggles during your first Spring Lake Park coaching stint.

A At that time the feeder program wasn't very strong, most girls didn't play in the offseason and all-in-all it was a mediocre team. And I was fresh out of college and pretty close in age to a lot of the girls. My philosophy was: Do whatever it takes to win. I came in and made cuts. Some girls didn't like me too much but some liked to be pushed.

Q As you look back, what were some of the mistakes you made as a young coach?

A I was really looking at the athlete rather than the whole person. That might have been because we were so close in age, or because I had just got done playing very competitively and I had high expectations. Even the way I was coached on such a competitive high school team was a factor. I didn't know any better.

Q What have you learned since then that will make things different this time around?

A I learned as an assistant [to former Panthers' head coach Mark Rotzenberg] to have a better understanding of the whole person. It's not just about volleyball, winning and stats. It's also about understanding that these are young ladies who are going to remember their experience playing. I want them to have a good experience, and to help them understand camaraderie, being part of something bigger than themselves and allowing athletics to boost their self-esteem.

Q Spring Lake Park has been much improved the past two seasons, but many of the key players have graduated. What is your outlook for this team?

A Winning helps create expectations that definitely weren't there the first time around. And the amount of kids we had then was about half of what we have right now. Our feeder program is improved and the interest is there. I've coached a handful of the girls for a while and now they're coming through the program. So it seems like a natural progression to be their head coach in high school. Now we'll see if I taught them the right things.

David La Vaque • 612-673-7574

David La Vaque • dlavaque@startribune.com