MEET THE COACHES: COACH HANNAH KILLIAN
Its time to meet the SSC Volleyball Coach who completed her first season with us in fall 2019. Coach Hannah Killian came to us from Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Missouri where she was the Graduate Assistant for the men’s volleyball team. Hannah was born and raised in Arkansas where she began to play volleyball in the 3rd grade. She later became a collegiate volleyball player for three years at Crowley’s Ridge College in Paragould, Arkansas and finished her senior year at Hannibal LaGrange University in Hannibal, Missouri. Here is more of a chance to get to know her off the court.
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A COACH?
Volleyball has been a passion of mine since I was little. Before I graduated college, I started to stress because I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I decided that leaving volleyball behind was not going to be an option for me! I had one semester left of college but no eligibility, the head coach at HLG let me stay on as a student assistant for that semester. I fell in love with coaching and staying apart of the game!
IF YOU WEREN’T COACHING VOLLEYBALL, WHAT SPORT WOULD YOU MOST BE INTRESTED IN COACHING AND WHY?
Basketball! I never played it personally and I don’t know all the ins and outs of the sport. However, I love how fast pace the game is (very similar to volleyball in speed of game)! I also just really enjoy watching the game at any level!
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST IN YOUR UPCOMING SEASON?
I'm looking forward to putting my new team together on the court! I can’t wait to work with the girls, finding their strengths and helping them overcome weaknesses! I’m also looking forward to having lots of different options when it comes to rotations; I can’t wait to play around with those!
DO YOU HAVE ANY PREGAME ROUTINUES OR POST GAME RITUALS?
PREGAME-As a coach I’m normally running around like crazy on game days trying to get everything/everyone ready. But I do try and get a Mt. Dew every game day... I know it’s bad for me, but I don’t like coffee, but I still need caffeine to get me through the busy game day! I enjoy being organized so I take time before every game to set up the camera, set out clip boards and pens (for stats). I try to get to games 1.5-2 hours early so I don't feel rushed. Once I get everything set up, I get on the court and run my setters warm up! I like to be very hands on during the teams warm up!
POSTGAME-I take time to enter stats, this helps me see based on numbers what went right/wrong. I will also (more than likely) go get a burrito from Taco Bell once I’ve completed the stats!
WHAT IS SOMETHING THAT THE COMMUNITY DOESN’T KNOW ABOUT YOU?
I absolutely love cats! Cats have been my favorite animal since I was a little girl. We have old family videos of me carrying around my first kitten at age 4! I have a fat kitty named Cassie, she's a 6-year-old gray cat who is completely spoiled! If you came over to my home, you would see that 95% of my decorations are cat related. I am the crazy cat lady!
OUTSIDE OF COACHING, WHAT ARE SOME HOBBIES YOU ENJOY?
I enjoy watching Netflix/Hulu! I love True Crime and Girly TV Dramas, I also enjoy hanging out/taking naps with my cat, and I enjoy cooking when I get the chance!
WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE EVER BEEN GIVEN?
Don’t ever give up! Life might be tough at this exact moment, but it will always get better. You’ve got to set your sights on a goal and work to get there!