LCC hires former Lady Devil Gilchrist to replace Price as volleyball coach
Thursday, February 1, 2007 7:05 AM PST
By Rick McCorkle
Printable version
E-mail this articleLower Columbia College athletic director Kirc Roland didn't have to look far for a new volleyball coach.
In fact, his mission didn't even take him off the school campus.
Former LCC player Marcy (Watkins) Gilchrist, who specializes in resource development in the school's Foundation Office, takes over as the newest coach of the Lady Devils volleyball program.
Gilchrist replaces former longtime coach Jocelyn Price, who was dismissed after completing a 9-30 campaign.
"We like the fact that Marcy is an experienced coach who wants to take us to the championship level," Roland said. "We're fortunate to have a quality person like her on campus, and we're confident she'll do a great job for the athletes and the college."
Roland noted that although Gilchrist was the only person to formally apply for the position, he had talked to some longtime local coaches about the position.
"Marcy knows the community both through her experiences as a player and coach," he said. "Everyone I talked to was pointing me in her direction."
Gilchrist, who graduated from R.A. Long High in 1990, attended LCC for one quarter and helped the Lady Devils win the NWAACC title while earning tournament MVP honors. She later moved on to Central Washington University, where she played from 1992 to '94. As a member of the Wildcats, she was a second-team all-conference selection before graduating with a bachelor's degree in political science.
She also competed with the Cowlitz Volleyball Club, where she now serves as an assistant coach with the club's 18 Asics team.
"Coaching at the college level has always been a dream of mine," the 34-year-old Gilchrist said. "When this opportunity came along, I talked a lot with my husband and my peers before I made my decision."
Besides playing for Price at LCC, she served as a volunteer assistant with the Lady Devils from 2001 to '04.
"I couldn't turn my back on the program, and I've had strong feelings about it because I've always been loyal to Jaws (Price) and Bill (former assistant coach Bill Tuggle)," she said. "I talked with Bill about it, and they're both all right with my decision. Jaws is a great person who has a lot of love and passion for the sport of volleyball."
After college, she coached high school volleyball teams in Kalama, Portland's Madison High and in Sandy, Ore., before returning home to work at LCC.
"I had applied to be an assistant coach at Lewis and Clark College in Portland but didn't get the job," Gilchrist said. "I took the job at Madison and we later moved to Sandy. It was a great experience, but we had a baby and moved back here."
Gilchrist served as the first-ever volleyball coach at Three Rivers Christian last fall, but she longed to coach at the collegiate level.
"I cried when I decided to leave (TRC) because it hurt both the players and myself, but professionally it was a move I had to make," she said. "The kids deserve someone who is 100 percent committed to them."
Gilchrist has met with the freshmen players at LCC. Four of the six have committed to play this fall.
"One of the girls is transferring to Clark College, and another is a Running Start student who will be a college senior and will transfer to Washington State University," she said. "We have a great core of kids coming back (Traci Goodin, Stefanie Steadman, Sammie Stephenson and Holly Bauer), and they're all excited about getting started and meeting new teammates."
Although most of the NWAACC volleyball coaches have been talking to players since the end of volleyball season in November, Gilchrist isn't worried about her late start into the recruiting wars.
"I've made some casual contacts," she said. "Many of the kids are trying to go big (Division I schools), while a lot of them know what they want and are interested in community college. There's also the kids who aren't sure where they want to go, and that's where we come in. We want to help with the transition from high school to the university level."
The Lady Devils will play an up-tempo format under Gilchrist's guidance.
"I like a quick game and will really push the envelope with the kids," she said. "I want us to get the ball a lot faster to the middle and the right side. That's the kind of play they'll face at the four-year level, so we'll prepare them for that style."
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