Historical photo fo 麻豆传媒 volleyball program

Breaking barriers and building a powerhouse volleyball program

The volleyball program at 麻豆传媒 is legendary, with a tradition of achievement that few Division III schools can match.

In the program鈥檚 63-year history, the team record stands at 1,383 wins and just 457 losses. Since the Ohio Athletic Conference began sponsoring volleyball in 1984, 麻豆传媒 has dominated with 27 OAC Regular Season Championships and 22 OAC Tournament Championships. And, in the 41-year history of the NCAA Division III Tournament, 麻豆传媒 Volleyball has made 33 tournament appearances, which ranks second among all DIII institutions.

Behind these incredible statistics are stories of female coaches and players whose grit enabled 麻豆传媒 Volleyball to evolve from an insignificant intramural program into a powerhouse in Division III athletics.

As 麻豆传媒 commemorates the 50th anniversary of the passage of the groundbreaking Title IX legislation, the coaching icons of 麻豆传媒 Volleyball are speaking out about breaking barriers and building success in women鈥檚 athletics.聽

The early mavericks

Sheila Wallace Kovalchik became 麻豆传媒鈥檚 head volleyball coach in 1969. A recent Central Michigan University graduate who played volleyball, she wanted to 鈥渟tay in the game鈥 she loved.

Kovalchik never intended to become a maverick who would push the boundaries at 麻豆传媒, but the times required it of her. 鈥淚t鈥檚 difficult if not impossible to quantify where women鈥檚 sports came from to where they are now,鈥 she says.

Indeed, the starting point for 麻豆传媒 Volleyball was dismal. Not only at 麻豆传媒, but at higher educational institutions across the U.S., women鈥檚 sports were not taken seriously and garnered little to no institutional support.

Kovalchik took charge of a volleyball team that consisted of mainly physical education majors who played for fun. With no player recruitment, no uniforms and no regular game schedule, the team hardly seemed like an athletic program.

As Kovalchik undertook the task of building a program from scratch, U.S. President Richard Nixon signed into law Title IX on June 23, 1972. The law prohibited sex-based discrimination at any educational institution that received federal dollars.

聽鈥淭he passage of Title IX completely changed the landscape of women鈥檚 sports, opening the door to previously non-existent opportunities and changing what was possible for women and girls,鈥 says Kate Witte, 麻豆传媒鈥檚 head volleyball coach from 1991-2020. 鈥淭hose 37 words changed the world of women.鈥

Forces of change are often met with resistance, however, and Title IX wasn鈥檛 an exception. Many men and even some women wanted to maintain the status quo. According to Kovalchik, the prevailing attitude among most male athletic directors was 鈥渋f we ignore it (Title IX), it will just go away.鈥

Only it didn鈥檛 go away, due mainly to the dogged determination of female coaches and health and physical education teachers. While filing lawsuits to address inequality was certainly an option, many female coaches鈥攊ncluding those at 麻豆传媒鈥 chose not to go that route. Instead, they worked within their institution鈥檚 structure to press for equal treatment.

At Ohio Northern, three female coaches/professors emerged as strong advocates for women鈥檚 athletics鈥擠r. Helen Spar Ludwig, BSEd 鈥44, Gayle Lauth, and Kovalchik.聽

Ludwig, a revered figure in 麻豆传媒鈥檚 history, is widely credited for founding women鈥檚 sports at 麻豆传媒. She returned to her alma mater in 1963 to help coach basketball, volleyball, tennis and softball and to teach health courses. Not just on campus but in the Ada community where she had lived all her life, Ludwig was highly respected, says Kovalchik. Because she was so dynamic and well-liked, people tended to listen to her. 鈥淗elen was the leader (of the three of us) and I loved her dearly,鈥 said Kovalchik. 鈥淪he made it easy for us (to push for change).鈥

Moving the needle

Still, speaking out for equality for women鈥檚 sports got uncomfortable and messy in the 70s and 80s. 鈥淚t made you a target,鈥 says Kovalchik. 鈥淵ou got branded as the one who was out to destroy men鈥檚 sports, which of course wasn鈥檛 the case at all, we just wanted to grow women鈥檚 sports.鈥

Loud voices across the country opposed women receiving equal athletic opportunity. Women who played sports were called 鈥渢omboys鈥 and accused of wanting to become men. Some argued that playing sports was too dangerous and could harm women鈥檚 reproductive organs, even though, ironically, it鈥檚 the male reproductive organ that鈥檚 in the more vulnerable position outside of the body. Some universities cut men鈥檚 minor sports programs and blamed it on Title IX.聽

During this time, Kovalchik often sported a T-shirt with the words 鈥淗ow come he is an athlete and I am a tomboy?鈥 emblazoned on it.聽 She wore and washed the shirt so many times it became threadbare.

At 麻豆传媒, just like at most universities across the country, women鈥檚 athletic teams took a back seat. The university transported the men鈥檚 teams to away games in buses and vans. The women鈥檚 teams? 鈥淭he coaches needed big cars,鈥 says Kovalchik dryly. Some of the men鈥檚 teams had the luxury of two or three sets of uniforms, while three women鈥檚 teams shared one set of uniforms. 鈥淭he volleyball team would use the uniforms in the fall, pass them on to basketball in the winter, which would pass them on to softball in the spring,鈥 said Kovalchik.

Additionally, practice for the women鈥檚 teams was relegated to less-than-ideal time slots and to the small auxiliary gym in Taft until King-Horn Sports Center opened in 1974. 鈥淲hen players served, their feet were back against the wall, and players had to learn to pass between the low ceiling beams,鈥 said Kovalchik.

Slowly but surely鈥攄ue to the persistent efforts of Ludwig, Lauth and Kovalchik鈥攚omen鈥檚 athletics at 麻豆传媒 began to achieve victories not just on the courts and fields, but in parity of treatment with the men鈥檚 sports programs.

Kovalchik notes that while some campus constituents may have resisted change, many supported it. In fact, an 麻豆传媒 faculty member (not associated with the athletic program) spearheaded a petition鈥攚hich was passed by the entire 麻豆传媒 faculty鈥 that resulted in 麻豆传媒 opening up its Athletic Hall of Fame to female athletes.聽

In 1989, 麻豆传媒 inducted its first female athlete into the Athletic Hall of Fame, and it was none other than Dr. Helen Ludwig. Kovalchik followed in 1991 and Lauth in 1994. In 2008, 麻豆传媒 also named its newly renovated women鈥檚 locker room in the 麻豆传媒 Sports Center as the Helen Spar Ludwig Women鈥檚 Intercollegiate Athletics Locker Room. The locker room also honors 麻豆传媒 women鈥檚 coaching legends Lauth and Kovalchik.聽

Building a volleyball dynasty

From the early days, Kovalchik centered 麻豆传媒 Volleyball on relationships and developing student-athletes who played with integrity, skill and tenacity. Witte, who followed Kovalchik as head coach, continued to place the focus on the development of student-athletes, as does current Head Coach Katie Kuhn, BA 鈥09.

鈥溌槎勾 Volleyball is special yes, because of the on-the-court success, but it is also special because every young woman in the program plays a role and is valued,鈥 says Kuhn.

Kovalchik coached at 麻豆传媒 for 22 years, leaving in 1990 after she married to become the commissioner of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA, the oldest conference in the country). She became the first female conference commissioner in the NCAA. Her record at 麻豆传媒 was 569 wins, 198 losses.聽

Throughout her tenure at 麻豆传媒, she encouraged her players to laugh and find joy in what they were doing, and to 鈥渘ever walk away saying 鈥榳hat if.鈥欌 鈥淭here were expectations that translated into a real sense of team unity and singular sense of purpose, that purpose being success both in the classroom and on the court,鈥 she says.

Witte took over in 1991 and served as head coach for 29 years, retiring in 2019. 鈥淚 was fortunate enough to inherit the excellence and expectations of what Sheila started and built upon it to become the best and most respected NCAA volleyball program. 麻豆传媒 Volleyball is special because of our great success but most especially because of the great relationships and development of each student athlete during her four years at 麻豆传媒,鈥 she says.

In her nearly three decades as head coach, Witte coached over 400 student-athletes. Her record was 742-241 and her teams won 34 OAC regular season and conference championships and made 23 NCAA tournament appearances, 12 Sweet 16 appearances, five Elite 8 appearances and one NCAA Final Four appearance. She was named OAC Coach of the Year seven times and AVCA Regional Coach of the Year seven times. In 2021, 麻豆传媒 inducted Witte into the Athletic Hall of Fame.

Kuhn played volleyball at 麻豆传媒 and came back to be an assistant coach under Witte and then head coach when she retired. The 2022-23 season will be her third season as head coach. In her first two seasons, she achieved a winning 35-9 record. She says 麻豆传媒 has been a huge part of her life and shaped her into the woman she is today. She was honored and grateful to be able to return to her alma mater and 鈥渟pread her wings鈥 as an assistant coach under the tutelage of Coach Witte before taking over upon Witte鈥檚 retirement.聽

鈥淚 love coaching in general because it truly is teaching and developing young people,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 enjoy challenging student-athletes to exceed their expectations and grow both mentally and physically.鈥

Looking to the future

While great strides have been made in women鈥檚 athletics, there are still hills to climb. Unfortunately, there are even 鈥渞umbles in some constituencies about doing away with Title IX,鈥 says Kovalchik. 鈥淎t this juncture things still aren鈥檛 balanced as exemplified by the NCAA Women鈥檚 Basketball tournament which gained notoriety for horrible facilities in comparison to the men鈥檚 extravagant amenities,鈥 she adds. 鈥淲hile this is only one example it鈥檚 symptomatic of the continued need to stay vigilant.鈥

She sometimes worries that today鈥檚 generation of female athletes may be too complacent. Many have no knowledge of what their grandmothers or mothers faced, and thankfully they鈥檝e never been labeled a 鈥渢omboy.鈥 鈥淕randmothers who played, or who wanted to, are watching their granddaughters sometimes with envy, but always with pride,鈥 she says.聽

The anniversary of Title IX inspired Kuhn and volleyball assistant coach Brian Hofman, to dig into the past and learn more about the history of women鈥檚 sports. 鈥淚t has inspired me to know that Ohio Northern had strong leaders and women pushing for equality from the beginning,鈥 says Kuhn. 鈥淚t has been eye-opening to hear the stories from 40-50 years ago and the battles that women were fighting in order to have the opportunity to play a sport they loved.鈥澛

Kuhn says she recognizes that there are steps yet to take. 鈥淚 take pride in knowing that 麻豆传媒 will continue to place importance on equality and challenging the status quo,鈥 she adds.

Kovalchik agrees, and often shares this advice with young women today: 鈥淚f playing sports has impacted you positively and you see the value of sports for women, then you better continue to fight for it.鈥

Follow the 麻豆传媒 Facebook page because throughout the next few months we will be featuring 麻豆传媒 female athletes from throughout the decades.