UMaine appoints Sue Medley volleyball coach> Former Cornell boss eager to build new program

ORONO – With only five weeks left until the start of the season, Sue Medley has plenty to do as the new coach of the second incarnation of the University of Maine women’s volleyball program.

The computers are en route. Uniforms and equipment will be ordered shortly. But most important is contacting the women who will make up the school’s first volleyball team since 1983.

“There’s so many things that are tied for being first order of business, but clearly just this week I want to get in touch with returning players and take care of the Pit [Memorial Gym],” the former Cornell University coach said Wednesday during a press conference to announce her hiring.

“Those are my two big things for the week and that’s how far I’m going now. I’m good at ordering and spending so far, ” Medley said.

The Black Bears, who will compete in America East, will open Sept. 10 at the Long Island University Tournament in Brooklyn, N.Y. The first home match at Memorial Gym is Oct. 16 against Delaware.

This year’s squad will be made up of players from UMaine’s club volleyball team.

Recruiting for this fall is out of the question, and the club players who will compete this year will do so without scholarships. But once those become available – probably three for next year with an eventual total of 12 – Medley said she plans to do recruiting in and out of the state.

There are 11 girls high school volleyball teams in Maine.

“I think we can target Maine for Division I talent and that’s the key word, it will be athletic talent,” Medley said. “It may not be volleyball talent right now because the state hasn’t been exposed to that much volleyball.”

Medley, 35, played volleyball for Notre Dame and graduated in 1986. She coached Cornell from 1994 to 1998 and served as the head coach at Div. III St. Mary’s College from 1987-91.

Medley has an overall record of 119-129 as a head coach. Prior to her stint at Cornell, Medley was the top assistant at Kansas State University for four years.

“The exciting thing [at Maine] is that it’s a scholarship program so we’re going to be able to attract good athletes,” she said. “I think obviously the big challenges right now are going to just be recruiting and competing.”

Athletic director Sue Tyler said Medley hasn’t signed a contract yet but the position comes with a $35,000 salary.

The school received around 60 applications for the volleyball position, including some applications from current Division I coaches.

“We had great finalists and I know that Sue is going to be the right person to move us into the future and get us started and keep on with this and develop our program in women’s volleyball,” Tyler said.

UMaine now has 10 varsity sports for women and 10 for men. The elevation of volleyball to varsity status helps place the school closer to Title IX gender equity compliance. Maine will take another step toward compliance when men’s golf is dropped after the 2000 spring season.

“It puts us very close to proportionality of what we’re looking for in that regard,” Tyler said. “[Starting the volleyball program] had to do with what is right for the university and what we should be offering in the context of our conference and state and what we should be in terms of a flagship athletic program.”