It's been said that you can never go home again, but Iowa women's volleyball coach Cindy Fredrick is out to prove that saying wrong. Fredrick, a native of Waverly, Iowa, has spent the last 20 years developing a reputation as not only a great coach, but also someone who leaves a positive mark on her athletes and on the greater community in which she lives. Fredrick started her coaching career as an assistant coach at Iowa in 1982 and after four years on the sideline in Iowa City, she was named the head coach at Weber State. In four years in Ogden, Utah, Fredrick took the Weber State Wildcats to three winning seasons before she accepted the job as the head coach at Washington State. For 15 years, Fredrick headed the Cougar Volleyball team, leading them to 10 NCAA tournament appearances and two Elite Eight spots. Her 278 wins at Washington State are the most for any coach of a women's sport in school history. Fredrick's success, both in Ogden and Pullman, has made her one of the best coaches in women's volleyball today. With 19 seasons as a head coach under her belt, Fredrick has amassed 364 career wins, a total that places her 43rd amongst active coaches in Division I women's volleyball, and Fredrick shows no signs of slowing down.
When Rita Buck-Crockett announced that she would be leaving the University of Iowa, Fredrick knew this was a chance for her to fulfill a dream. "You never forget where you came from. Growing up in Iowa, my whole family is Hawkeye fans; it's just a part of who I am." Fredrick's passion for the sport of volleyball and the University of Iowa are making those around the volleyball program extremely excited. With three returning seniors on the Iowa roster in 2004, Fredrick expects them to be a major part of the coaching transition. "Our seniors are the team leaders; they are the ones that I communicate with the most." The Hawkeye seniors, libero Pam Kavadas, who finished third in the conference in digs last year, middle blocker Carolyn Giese, 24th on the all-time Hawkeye attack percentage list, and outside blocker Laura Simpson, who ranked eighth in the conference in kills in 2003, have had many ups and downs during their careers at Iowa, and Fredrick knows how important it is for these three to have confidence in themselves. "We have to convince them that they are good athletes and good volleyball players. I need them to take control of the team while they are on the court." Fredrick says that one of the first steps to developing a perpetually productive program is for every person involved to be accountable for their actions, good or bad. "Accountability is a great thing. While you have to be accountable for your mistakes, you are also accountable for the good things you do as well."
Fredrick knows that the turn around at Iowa won't be easy or instantaneous, but she understands what it takes to bring success to programs that have struggled. Throughout her career, Fredrick has been known as a coach with the unique ability to turn programs into winners and that is exactly what she wants to do at Iowa. Fredrick has made the theme for this season, "Bring it Home." Fredrick explains, "We want to bring the successes we have had at Washington State back home to Iowa." The new coach wants fans of the program to know that she intends on making Iowa into a national volleyball power, but it won't happen immediately. "The fans need to have faith in us, we are not going to turn it around in a wink of an eye, but we will compete, we will be working hard all of the time."
One of the major lessons that Fredrick has always instilled in her athletes is a dedication to those around them. Throughout her career as a coach, Fredrick has made it a point to reach out to the greater community around her. "The important thing in life is your involvement in it. Your entire life is not just your sport. Coaching doesn't define me 100%." Throughout her years in Pullman, Washington, Fredrick made a commitment to enhancing the lives of youth in the area through volleyball and political involvement. Fredrick has developed a series of camps called "Little Spikers" in which children can come early to Saturday home games and have players instruct them on the fundamentals of the volleyball. Fredrick has also found ways to use her time to give back to the community as a whole. "If you're going to live somewhere, you have to be involved in the community. I was a co-chair for the school-bond levy in Pullman, and I just think that's a big part of doing things."
Fredrick's energy and experience has already brought forth changes in Iowa City. As she and her staff began recruiting, Fredrick said that many of the high school coaches and recruits were very excited to see Iowa beginning to turn the corner. "People in Iowa City love volleyball; they have just been waiting for something good to happen." With the hiring of Cindy Fredrick, good things have already begun to happen for Iowa volleyball.
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