After consecutive one win seasons and being winless in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference since 2016, the volleyball team has finally hired a new head coach.

Hayley Kirby has been hired from Earlham College, where she was an assistant coach for two years and last year was associate head coach for a team that went 15-13 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.

Kirby was an outside hitter for Division II West Virginia State University, where she graduated from in 2015. The 24-year-old is coming up on three years since her graduation and thinks that her youth will be an advantage connecting and relating with her players.

“It’s good to have a coach whose kind of younger who knows what it’s like. I was just there a few years ago,” Kirby said. “At the same time, I can give them an outward view.”

At her former job, Kirby had recruiting experience for Earlham College.

“It was my job to identify the athletes at showcases,” Kirby said.

Although she has had experience coaching on the court and scouting, Kirby has never had full control of a team and is excited for the opportunity to do that at Waynesburg.

“It’s really exciting that I am this young and I get to have this opportunity,” Kirby said “I’m really excited to do more of the behind-the-scene work. When I was acting head coach [at Earlham] all I did was coach on the court. I know I can do that already. I think the off-the-court stuff is going to be the most challenging and I think I’m really ready for that.”

The night before she was officially announced as the new head coach of the Yellow Jackets, Kirby was able to work out with her future players and get a glimpse into what players she will be working with next season.

“I got to practice with them and I don’t think their record really reflects the talent they have, so I think there are a lot of good things that can happen and a lot of good stuff I can do with them,” Kirby said.

A positive first impression for Kirby was the average height of the team, but the talent of the players was even more exciting for her and for a team that was winless in the PAC the last two years.

“With the skill level they have, I don’t think it’s going to be as hard as I expected,” Kirby said. “I thought it was going to be a little harder, but when I saw them last night it was exciting to see the talent I do have.”

Kirby has yet to decide what system she will run with her players, as she hasn’t seen all the setters, but she would prefer to run a 5-1. The biggest problem according to Kirby isn’t the system or that they have been lacking talent, but instead they have been lacking the knowledge of how to win games.

“I think the main goal is to teach them how to win—I think their one weakness is they don’t know how to win and I think I have been able to teach how to win before,” Kirby said. “At Earlham, we won six games last year, this year we won 15 and nine of those I was acting as head coach.”

As a new chapter begins in Waynesburg volleyball history, Kirby is confident that she will be able to pass down winning ways.

“I know how to win and I think I can teach them how to,” Kirby said.