Major ready to coach in the Ivies

Kerry Major leaves the University of Alaska to become head coach of Penn volleyball. What a way to start -- bloodshot and bleary-eyed in a noisy office. And she's sick. She never even wanted to leave her old job. At least that's what Kerry Major thought at first. "I said, 'well I have no intention of leaving [the University of Alaska], but I'll look at it because that's where I want to be someday'," Major said. "And it ended up being the right time after all." One visit, a series of interviews and a little introspection later, and she knew where she wanted to be. Major was named coach of the Penn volleyball team yesterday, after two years at the helm of the University of Alaska at Anchorage program. She also boasts assistant coaching experience at Hawaii and Georgetown among her list of credentials. Penn Senior Associate Athletic Director Carolyn Schlie-Femovich, the head of the committee that searched for a new volleyball coach, explained that the initial decision to lengthen the search period was a result of networking to find the best possible candidate. "In my conversation with her, I listened to her as if I were a player's parent, talking about what my son or daughter might be interested in," Femovich said. "I felt there was a connection as far as what we were trying to get done." A four-year letter winner at William and Mary, Major gained experience working under Hawaii coach Dave Shoji, who led his team to a No. 25 rank nationally this season. In addition, she learned the coaching ropes from A-6 Rainbow coach Howard Wallace. Major's nationwide recruiting program, as well as her experience with club teams, will bring a new dimension to how Penn recruits volleyball talent. The Denver native coached top junior club teams such as Capitol Volleyball, Midnight Sun Volleyball and Asics Rainbow Volleyball Club. These connections, plus an in with William and Mary, give Major a preliminary understanding of recruiting at an Ivy League school. "I loved playing at a school that valued academics. I want to be proud of recruiting someone. When you recruit an athlete you aren't recruiting them to go on to the pros like some basketball schools," Major said. "You are recruiting them to get an education first and then enhance their life with a good volleyball experience." The Penn players will also benefit from her perspective as a former student athlete, and at the age of 30 not far removed from the daily grind. "The fact that she has played with the same academic kind of constraints, and that she understands what it is like is great," junior co-captain Megan McKay said. Her youth and enthusiasm will provide a very pragmatic coaching edge, as she can demonstrate the skills. "It is going to be great that she was a player, because she is willing to step into a drill and show us exactly what she wants from us," McKay said. The Quakers hope that Major will be able to bring immediate improvement to the program as she did for the Seawolfs. In her first year at the helm of Anchorage, Major improved the team from 14-20 to 20-13 -- a jump from fifth to third in the Pacific West Conference. The Quakers will need a similar jump next season after a disappointing 11-14 campaign in 1997. But the focus of the program will be more than development of the athletes on the court. The lack off enthusiasm for Penn volleyball is a main concern for the administration as well as for Major. Community service and a series of fund raising ideas are part of the repertoire that made Major so attractive as a candidate. "No matter where we are, who we are, if you just stay within this campus you are only going to have this campus to back you," Major explained. Her ability to bring attention to the Anchorage program was clear as she turned a $100 fund raising program into a $6,000 initiative during her short tenure as head coach. She instilled a booster club and used clinics to create local interest in the program. Major knows the same is necessary for the success of her new home. Major found the job she wanted. Her health will get better -- and Femovich and company are hoping her decision will help the Quakers improve on the volleyball court also. Now, all she just needs to work on is that noisy office.