BILLINGS — Montana State University Billings Women’s Volleyball team has its 15th head coach in program history, and players are ready to rebuild under new leadership.
Coach Scott Keister brings more than 25 years of college coaching experience to the Yellowjackets.
Watch MSU Billings new volleyball coach talk about the upcoming season with a new team:
“I got introduced to the game of volleyball in college and I fell in love with it,” Keister said.
After coaching at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming, the opportunity in Billings presented itself at the perfect time.
“We love Montana, and so it was always kind of a goal to get back to Montana,” Keister said about him and his family.
For senior Stella Scott, the coaching change represents a fresh opportunity.
“I think it's just a good clean slate for all of us,” Scott said. “He's done a really great job of coming in and just implementing a lot of really great principles for us of working hard.”
Scott is excited about the new direction of the program.
“I'm just excited to show up and just be ready and be prepared,” Scott said.
Keister’s late arrival meant he had to work fast to establish relationships with his players and implement his system.
“I'm getting to learn them as they're getting to learn me, so it's kind of a nice fit there. We're all kind of in it together,” Keister said.
Keister emphasized moving forward rather than dwelling on the past.
“I told the players is the past doesn't matter. What matters is where we're at now, and the direction that we're going from here,” Keister said.
For seniors like Scott, there’s urgency to man an immediate impact since they don’t have time for a lengthy rebuilding process.
“It was definitely hard coming in being like, ‘Okay, we have no idea what to expect.’ But I think it also kind of has brought us all together to be like, ‘Okay, we're all on the same page’,” Scott said.
The team has been working intensively since the start of the season to establish a new culture.
“We're just looking at setting the culture of and expectations of working hard in the gym and getting after it,” Keister said.
Scott noted the increased intensity at practice.
“We've been working really hard since day one, coming in doing double days and playing a ton and figuring out just all the different pieces that we have and how we can utilize them and just do the best that we can this year,” Scott said.
Freshman Kenzie Allen is eager to contribute to the program’s new direction while managing the transition to college volleyball.
“My main goal is probably to just experience college play this first year. Give myself grace throughout all of it cause it's a whole other level, but just keep working at it,” Allen said. “Just build from there and hopefully make a program.”
The Yellowjackets will begin their season Sept. 11 at a tournament in North Dakota. The home opener is scheduled for Sept. 18 against University of Alaska Fairbanks in their first conference match up.
