Elliott Has Texas Thinking Big

PaliHi Graduate Has Turned Longhorns’ Volleyball Program into National Power

Some people just have a knack for winning. One is University of Texas women’s volleyball coach Jerritt Elliott, who was hired nine years ago to resurrect the Longhorns’ program. Since then, he has rebuilt the squad from the ground up, culminating in back-to-back Big 12 Conference titles and currently a No. 2 national ranking. So what’s the secret to Elliott’s success? For starters, growing up playing the sport in Pacific Palisades gave him a wealth of experience at an early age, and that exposure, along with his genuine love of the game, enables him to connect with players in an uncanny way. When contacted earlier this week at his office in Austin, where his team was preparing to battle Big 12 rival Baylor the next night, Elliott relived some of his earliest memories–first at Marquez Elementary, later at Paul Revere Middle School and finally at Palisades High, where he played middle blocker on maybe the finest team in school history. “I was a senior in 1986 when we had Kent Steffes, Adam Unger and J.B. Saunders,” Elliott recalled. “We went 36-0 that year and won the City title.” Ironically, Elliott almost missed his calling. Although he played for fun, he skipped volleyball tryouts because he didn’t think he was good enough to make the team. Longtime PaliHi coach Howard Enstedt finally convinced Elliott to play and the rest, as they say, is history. After playing at Pepperdine and Hawaii, the exuberant Elliott graduated from Cal State Northridge and soon became volunteer coach for the Matadors’ men’s team as well as the head coach at Marymount High, an all-girls Catholic school near UCLA. Eventually, he worked his way up to interim coach at USC, guiding the Trojans to two straight No. 1 recruiting classes and the NCAA Final Four for the first time since 1985 . During his stint with the Trojans, he coached some of the top players in the nation, including FIVB World Champions April Ross and Jen Kessy and Nicole Davis (a libero on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team). The sport has grown in leaps and bounds, both in the United States and internationally, since Elliott got into coaching. Besides various rules changes–most notably the switch from side-out to rally scoring’the biggest difference in the game today is the size and strength of the athletes who play it. “The thing I’ve noticed the most on the women’s side over the last 10 years is how much more physical the players are,” Elliott said. “Our front row players are 6′ 3″ now and very athletic.” Elliott’s wife, Sarah, was a USA National Team member and six-year professional indoor player. A two-time All-American and 1996 Pac-10 Player of the Year, she still holds the school records for single game, single season and career kills at Washington State. Their 11-year-old daughter Kahle was the inspiration for the couple to found the Youth National Volleyball Association, a non-profit organization aimed at teaching kids fundamentals at the grassroots level. “It started as kind of a fluke when I told some friends I would get our kids together and teach them and the response I got was overwhelming,” Elliott said. “Most dads are good at teaching basketball or baseball but very few know the finer points of volleyball so that’s why there’s such a need for this. My dad is the President and he oversees it all now.” Mel Elliott, the proud papa, was a world class track athlete and formerly served as Executive Director of the YMCA, having created all of the sports programs, including the Olympic Development Track Meet. The YNVA began in Austin where the Elliotts live but has now branched out to other locations, including Jerritt’s hometown. Heading the Pacific Palisades site is Caitlin Lawson, a four-year letterwinner at Pepperdine, a Premiere Club coach for Sports Shack and the head coach at the Archer School for Girls in Brentwood. YNVA’s fall VolleyGirlz/Spike Guyz program is open to boys and girls in grades 3-6 and meets Sundays from 3-5 p.m. through October 25. Register online now at www.theynva.org this Sunday at 5:30 p.m. at the Palisades High baseball field. For details, call 1-877-333-9682.