Q&A
Lori Schwieterman
St. Henry (Ohio) High School
In 14 years as Head Coach at St. Henry (Ohio) High School, Lori Schwieterman has done it all. Through 2008, her record stood at 271-69, including 10 Midwest Athletic Conference (MAC) titles, three state championship game appearances, and a 2004 state title. Two years ago, she was inducted into the Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. But that doesn’t mean every season has been a breeze. In 2007, the veteran coach was subjected to something never before seen at St. Henry: a losing volleyball season. The squad struggled to a 10-16 record, including a 3-6 conference mark—its worst ever.
CM: What led to the team’s down year in 2007? Schwieterman: The volleyball program here at St. Henry has a 35-year history of success. But in 2007 a lot of the players were the first members of their families to play volleyball here. Because of that, we didn’t have a very good connection with the program’s great tradition. When you have new families and new faces, it takes a while to adjust and get the right chemistry. We also play a very tough schedule. We’re a Division IV school, and our non-league schedule is almost entirely against Division I teams. That means we may come back from a tournament 0-3, but by the end of the season, it’s going to pay dividends. Our team in 2007 struggled with rebounding from those losses. Were you ever concerned that the players were losing confidence? I was very worried. I had to constantly reassure them that they were getting better and everything was going to be all right. We watched a lot of film so they could see the improvements they were making. Eventually, everything started clicking and it became natural for them to do the things they needed to do to win. I remember at one point we were 3-9, then we won six or seven games in a row by sticking with our younger players and not panicking. With every game we won, the players started to get that winning feeling back. We then ended up doing really well in the postseason and won the district title. I knew the
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Schwieterman, who teaches elementary physical education and also coaches j.v. girls’ basketball at St. Henry, her alma mater, has been coaching for 26 years, with stints at Ottoville and Spencerville High Schools, both in Ohio. In this interview, she discusses rebounding from a losing season, the college recruiting process, and why she’s retiring at the end of the 2009 season.
talent was there all along, it just took a long time to get it out of them. Did the improvements at the end of 2007 carry over to 2008? Definitely. It was like we leapt into the next season. We put together a 13game winning streak and finished with a winning record. High school athletics can be cyclical, and we just needed to go through that rebuilding process and the growing pains with new players. But I also think the other teams in the area are really improving. Our conference has become very tough. Not finishing in the top three was a hard pill to swallow, but we are thankful for the success we’ve had. If we have to take our lumps every 35th year, I guess we can live with that. Did you always want to be a coach and teacher? I’ve known this is what I wanted to do since I was in high school. I’ve always loved sports and any way that I can be involved with kids is great. St. Henry started volleyball when I was in eighth grade and I played all four years of high school. I also participated in basketball and track and field. Anything that was offered, I was involved in. What are some changes you’ve seen in the sport over the years? The athletes have become so much bigger and stronger. I feel it’s a bit of an issue because the only place for a smaller player now, especially at the college level, is at the libero position.
Senior setter Brandi Elking assists senior middle hitter Emily Post during a match in October. St. Henry was in contention for its 27th Midwest Athletic Conference title this fall.
Coaching Management
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