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Huebner named as new head volleyball coach

TWU recently hired Jeff Huebner as the new head Volleyball Coach.

Huebner previously coached collegiately at Middle Tennessee University and College of Coastal Georgia, where he started the women’s volleyball program from scratch. “All of my experience there showed me great leadership,” Huebner added. “But it was coaching high school and volleyball club where I learned how to be professional and how to be a coach. I learned how to make personal growth, sacrifice for the kids and to demonstrate long-term commitment to what I do.”

Huebner says the uniqueness and dynamic aspects of volleyball is what drives him to coach the sport, but he always knew that he was going to be an educator from a small age.

“I have always been a dreamer and as a coach that is something that I get to nurse in other people,” Huebner said. “I don’t think that we encourage people enough, we don’t build people up enough and I think that is just what I have been called to do.”

During the spring, Huebner says the team is focusing on getting the “culture” right.

“I think everything we do as people is largely dependent on the culture,” said Huebner. “Every place we are in is an opportunity for success or opportunity for failure. We need to make sure that we have the right practice culture and we have the right match culture. We really need to pay attention to raising and discipling leaders, so that when we get to the fall we can fold in our new athletes with great success.”

The first thing Huebner he did upon coming to TWU was turn his office around, open the door and leave it open. He stated that his main goal is to have a family community environment where he can help mentor student athletes to reach their goals.

When asked what was his greatest accomplishment as a coach, Huebner said, “Coaches do not have accomplishments, we are just by products of good kids. I coach to assist college-age women in becoming the best versions of themselves.”

In Aug. of 2016, eight TWU volleyball players were hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis, a condition that involves muscle tissue breaking down and entering the blood system. According to TWU, all eight student athletes have made a full recovery and returned to practice after the students and institution followed proper protocol.

Even though Huebner was not working for TWU when the incident happened, he is aware of situation and is working with the student athletes and athletic department to have better health practices.

“The well-being of our student-athletes is the most important thing,” Huebner added. “Dr. Feyten and Mrs. Connors, our Director of Athletics, have a great, very holistic approach, they want to connect mind, body, spirit.”

Huebner explained that the key to having a great program and healthy athletes is open communication. “ We are focusing on how to do an injury prevention on the front side rather than rehabbing it,” said Huebner. “If we can have this corporate effort between our athletes, coaches and trainers then what we are going to see is the health of our student athletes be at an all-time high.”

Huebner says that his wife and their two small children are settling into Denton and TWU and loving it. “We are very blessed with the opportunity to be here and be apart of this community and we are going to act that way everyday,” Huebner added

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