TicketsNov. 3, 2011
By Shawn Sell
In the fall of 2003, Myanna (Hellsten) Webster arrived on the University of Cincinnati campus as a free-spirited, wildly talented volleyball player, but without a clue as to what her future would hold. Now, nearly a decade later, Webster has a clear picture of what lies ahead thanks to an opportunity afforded to her by her college coach.
As a player, Webster was a two-time all-conference selection, the 2003 Conference USA Freshman of the Year and one of the top middle blockers in UC program history. Webster's fourth year as a Bearcat almost didn't happen as she battled a painful thumb injury that nearly derailed her career. In the off-season following her junior campaign, Bearcat head coach Reed Sunahara gave Webster the opportunity to help him coach his club team, opening a whole new set of doors for the soon-to-be graduating standout.
"After my junior season, I started coaching club because Reed needed some help," she recounts. "It was when I got hurt and didn't think I was going to play my senior year. I was helping out with our team and Reed asked me if I could help coach club. He was coaching a 17 (year olds) team and I started being his assistant and just kind of fell in love with coaching club."
As luck would have it, Webster recovered enough to compete as a senior, earning her second All-BIG EAST accolade. When the 2006 season wrapped up, fate intervened again and Webster discovered the career path she was looking for. At that point, another former Bearcat, Chrissy Smith, decided to leave the coaching ranks and her position at UC, opening up a spot on Sunahara's staff. The veteran mentor wasted little time in making a move to fill the void.
"I always thought she had it in her," Sunahara says. "She was always like the Mom of the team and she is very organized. Yes, she was free-spirited but at the same time she knew what she wanted. So when Chrissy left, the first person I talked to was her. I knew that she would a good coach; I knew she would fit in, but the question was was that what she wanted to do?
"As soon as I found out (that Chrissy was leaving), we had lunch and I proposed the question to her about being a coach," he continues. "She was still finishing school and was helping out, and then as soon as she finished school, we hired her. I've see a maturity in her and she has turned into a really good coach."
With her direction now set and a job in place, Webster was all set to go, except year one presented a bit of an awkward situation. On the 2006 team, Webster was one of just two seniors, so when she returned the next fall as an assistant coach, she was now in a position of authority over a nearly full roster of her former teammates.
"My first year was a tricky transition for everyone involved because I had played with so many of them as teammates," she says. "Last year was the first year where I didn't coach someone that I had played with. Early on, I think my role had a much closer relationship to the players because I had been in their shoes with them. Going through that and being able to be the liaison for them; I was still a coach but was closer to them. Whereas now, there is more of a drawn line and I have more of that authority. Last year was a big shift which was nice, to not have that connection anymore. That can be nice and useful, but it was good for me to get away from that even more."
After four years of getting her feet wet as a Division I assistant coach, Webster had to prepare for another transition earlier this year, when assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Erin Virtue left for a job at the University of Michigan. While her new role has been exciting, Webster admits that it's been a little scary as well. Bearcat Volleyball has a tradition of recruiting nationally, which leads to more exhaustive work in identifying and bringing in the best talent. Webster has also had to learn that, despite her love for her alma mater, UC isn't always the right spot for everyone.
"There has been a little bit of a transformation for me to be aware that OK we aren't going to get all of these kids that we want," she says. "Some of those things are in our control and some aren't. We lost a kid recently because she wanted to go to veterinary school. Those are the things that I am getting myself wrapped around and accepting that there are just some things that are out of your control. Between that and seeing that there are A LOT of kids playing volleyball now. That is a new piece for me and I am still trying to figure out how to best divide our time and resources to see kids and do what we can to make sure we are getting the best kids and the best fit.
"That to me is the scariest part of my job," she continues. "I love having kids on campus because I love the University. For me, it is a really easy sell because I can say here is what I think is great. But learning how to find all of those kids in the first place and then learning that not everyone loves what I love. The first few kids that we lost, I really struggled. I couldn't understand why kids wouldn't want to go to school here. I just have to learn to get over that and move on."
When looking back over his tenure and the coaches that have come and gone from his staff, Sunahara remembers one that shares so many qualities with Webster. Like Webster a former Bearcat, the late Stephanie (Meinig) Rosfeld enjoyed an outstanding playing career before joining Sunahara's staff prior to her untimely death just before the 2004 season.
"My first thing with Myanna was she reminded me of Steph a lot," Sunahara says. "In different ways, but she had so many of the qualities that Steph had which I think are important. Steph was loyal, she was a former player and she understood me and I think a lot of that is the same with Myanna."
As a student-athlete at UC, Myanna Webster was a free-spirit looking for a career path to call her own. Thanks to a great opportunity she has found it and she couldn't be any happier about where it was at.
"Obviously, it doesn't matter where you are working, you want to do a good job," she says. "You want to be successful and you want whatever program you are with to do well. But I think as an alum, there is a much stronger bond because you went there and you want to make sure that the kids that come in are the kind of kids that you would want to continue and make better what you started. It's not to say you couldn't do that somewhere else, but I think it's nice to have that tie to it and know the history and tradition."