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Coming off back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances Carolyn Condit, the second-longest tenured coach at Miami University, returns for her 26th season behind the bench of the RedHawk volleyball team.
Condit has compiled a 454-332 overall record at Miami, winning her 400th Miami match in the final contest of the 2005 season in a 3-1 triumph at Dayton on Nov. 26. Condit, who also boasts a 553-412 career mark, achieved her 500th career win against Centenary, the first contest of the 2006 season, on Aug. 25. This achievement places Condit in an elite group of coaches nationwide who have reached the 500-win plateau. She is the winningest volleyball coach in Miami history and owns a Mid-American Conference mark of 247-142.
The RedHawks have boasted amazing success under Condit's direction. The five-time MAC Coach of the Year has seven NCAA Tournament appearances, five MAC titles and four MAC Player of the Year awards to her credit. As one of the most prolific coaches in the MAC, Condit and her staff continue their quest to keep Miami among the elite programs in the conference and region both athletically and in the classroom. Under Condit, 29 athletes have earned a total of 61 All-MAC awards for their play on the court, while 28 athletes have earned a combined 42 All-MAC academic honors for their performance in the classroom. Four of her players have been named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, and five have earned induction into the Miami Athletic Hall of Fame.
Following back-to-back NCAA appearances, Condit and the RedHawks look forward to continuing the tradition of success at Miami. With 10 letterwinners returning from the 2008 squad that earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in school history, the goals for Condit include making another run for a MAC Championship and making a third-straight NCAA tournament.
Condit has made a further commitment to Miami University, having recently signed a contract extension through the 2012-13 season.
Miami returns an exceptional senior class in First-Team All-MAC selections Megan Griffin and Andrea Atteberry, Second-Team All-MAC member Hallie Hanks and All-MAC Tournament Team selection Maria Leahy. Each was a valuable part of the team's offensive attack with Griffin setting a school record with a .358 hitting percentage. Atteberry returns as the team's setter for the fourth year in a row, having passed the 3,000-assist mark as a junior.
The three-member junior class is led by middle hitter Michele Metzler. The 2007 MAC Freshman of the Year looks to make a big impact after recording 227 kills and 72 blocks as a sophomore last season.
Condit has four sophomores also looking to make an impact after learning a lot during their rookie campaign. Outside hitter Cassie Farrell had the greatest impact last season with six starts in 24 matches, averaging nearly a kill per set.
A Winning Tradition
While success in athletics is defined by numbers--wins and losses--Condit has developed an effective formula in making Miami's program a winner in all aspects. Over the past 25 seasons, Condit and her teams have enjoyed a great deal of success. Miami has finished among the conference's top three 12 times and placed first or second nine times. Two of Condit's first three Miami teams--the 1985 and '86 squads--placed second in the MAC, but it was not until her sixth season at the helm (1990) that her team seized the coveted MAC title.
Fifteen of Condit's teams advanced at least to the Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinals from when it was re-instituted in 1987 until it was expanded to include all member schools in 2003. Eight of her Miami teams have advanced to the conference tournament championship match, with four collecting titles.
Seventeen of her teams have accrued winning records, including seven above the .700 mark. Nineteen squads have compiled MAC records above .500 with eight registering an .800 winning percentage or better.
With as much success as Condit's teams have achieved, quite possibly her greatest successes are the exceptional assistant coaches she hires, the competitive team environment she creates and the "family" Condit has built as the leader of the Miami program. Currently three of her former assistant coaches are now head coaches of their own programs and several alumni come back every year for the annual reunion weekend to visit with Condit and their former teammates.
A Decade Of Dominance
The decade of the 1990s was favorable for Condit. Five teams wore the MAC crown (1990, '95, '96, '97, '98), while her teams advanced to postseason competition seven of those years, including five jaunts into the NCAA Tournament. For her efforts, Condit earned MAC Coach of the Year accolades four times (1990, '92, '96, '98).
Her 1998 squad produced the best season in the program's history, winning the school's fourth consecutive Mid-American Conference Championship and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season. The 1998 RedHawks won the program's first NCAA Tournament match in a 3-0 domination of Nevada.
During a four-year span, Miami earned two automatic and two at-large invitations to the NCAA Tournament. In 1996 and 1998, the Red and White automatically qualified by winning the MAC Tournament. The 1997 team earned Miami's second at-large berth, while the 1995 squad became the first in MAC volleyball history to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Both teams captured the regular-season conference title.
Prior to its four-year stint in the NCAA Tournament, Miami enjoyed two appearances in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) Tournament. The 1994 squad advanced to the NIVC after finishing the MAC Tournament as the runner-up. In 1991, again runner-up at the MAC Tournament, Miami reached the semifinals of the NIVC Tournament before ending its tournament stint with a 1-3 loss to Notre Dame and posting a 26-12 mark for the season.
The 1990's also produced three consecutive MAC Player of the Year recipients for Miami. Only two other MAC schools can boast such a string of success. Karen Lepley, the 1988 MAC Player of the Year, was Miami's only recipient until Lori Reinart emerged to claim the conference's highest individual honor in 1996. Jessica Stout followed in 1997, and Alissia Thompson earned the award in 1998.
Continuing a Great Tradition at Miami
As successful as Condit has been during her tenure at Miami, she is mindful of her predecessors' achievements and devotes her efforts to continue building upon the foundation of success they constructed.
"The tradition of our program has been one of great success as far back as the early `80s when the teams set the precedent of winning MAC Championships and making NCAA Tournament appearances. Thanks to so many former committed and talented athletes, we've really been motivated to build on their success and keep the tradition alive."
Condit's teams have added four MAC Tournament titles in 1990, '96, '98 and `07 to those captured in 1980 and '81, which were the first years of the conference tournament. Miami squads also have made 10 MAC Tournament Championship game appearances over the last 27 years.
A Commitment To Academic Success
Condit, whose program has boasted superior graduation rates during her tenure, is credited with building the Miami program into a winner both on and off the court.
Keeping academics a top priority for the volleyball team is an important part of Condit's winning philosophy. Her student-athletes take great pride in their academic achievements and often are among the leaders at Miami in grade-point average. Numerous times during Condit's tenure the volleyball squad had attained the highest term grade point average of Miami athletic teams, including the past fall semester. The Miami volleyball team also has ranked nationally among Division I schools, earning the AVCA Team Academic Award.
Virginia Heineman ('85), Kathy and Wendy Tepe ('87) and Jessica Stout ('97) brought national recognition to Miami through their selection to the CoSIDA Academic All-America team, while Tara Buroker (`04), Jill Homrig ('90), Kathy Whalen ('91) and Stout each earned first-team CoSIDA academic all-district honors twice.
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