This volleyball coach search was easy

When Westminster College athletic director Tommy Connor went looking for a new head volleyball coach, he only got as far as the school's gymnasium.

"Many of the girls currently on the volleyball team were exposed to Kim (Norman) through her club volleyball programs," he said. "A few asked me if they could talk to her about the job."

The girls talked with Norman, who said she was reluctant as she'd just retired this year from coaching in the high school ranks after 12 years at Highland High School. Her reaction when Connor offered her the job?

"Uh-oh," she laughed. "They were 1-30 last year, and my first year at Highland High that was the team's record the previous season. I thought, 'Is this a message? Am I supposed to take a program from the bottom and put them somewhere?' "

Norman is still not sure whether it was an omen or a coincidence, but it doesn't matter. She'll be taking over Westminster's volleyball program with the same enthusiasm and energy that she's offered to the Rams' program, which included two state titles, her High Country Club teams and the Intermountain Volleyball Association, which has changed the status of volleyball in Utah.

Connor couldn't be happier for two reasons: First, the school is getting a coach with phenomenal knowledge of the game, and of the players.

"She has contacts all over in Utah and the Intermountain region," he said. "She has an incredible recruiting base."

Second, she is committed. And to a program that's seen three coaches in four years, a little consistency could go a long way.

"We feel really lucky to have her," said Connor, who is also head coach of the men's basketball team. "I think she sees a big challenge in front of her . . . and I'm impressed with what she's done in the past."

A challenge is exactly what Norman sees — that and an opportunity for Utah's female volleyball players.

"I looked at the school, and it's one of the most prestigious colleges, short of the Ivy League, and I wondered why is the program so bad?" Norman said. "Utah kids want to stay in state; they want a good education; and they want to play volleyball."

Even as volleyball in Utah has reached an impressive level, the program at Westminster has floundered in mediocrity.

Thanks in large part to club programs like Norman's High Country, Utah volleyball has gone from an "also-ran" to one of the best places to find players in the country.