The Miles volleyball team concluded its regular season by splitting four matches at the SIAC Western Division Cluster this past weekend in Memphis. While the results offered highs (wins over LeMoyne-Owen and Central State) and lows (sweeps against Kentucky State and Lane), it also shone a light on a complete turnaround the program has made over the last year.

One season after winning just one match and six total sets, the Lady Bears set a school record with 17 victories this season and, for the first time since 2016, qualified for the SIAC Tournament that will take place in Mobile, Ala. from Nov. 10-12. There is little question that the student-athletes on the team have been up to the task and that head coach Francesca Boone and assistant coach Reaucheandra Matthews have molded the squad into a formidable bunch. But the changes began long before the team held its first practice this season.

When athletic director Fred Watson took the helm in January, he had a plan on how to turn around the fortunes of the program, specifically, and the overall quality of the athletic department.

"My number one goal upon my appointment was to be intentional about our commitment to all our sports. But specifically, I knew we needed to make a greater commitment to our non-revenue sports that aligned with my vision to enhance the student-athletes' experience," Watson said. "We needed to provide the coaches and staff the resources necessary to accomplish their goals. That has been my consistent message and will remain my ultimate goal."

Those commitments Watson needed did not just come from wishful thinking. He had a plan and expressed it to Miles President Bobbie Knight, who began devoting the additional resources necessary to jump start the process.
 
"One of the main reason for the volleyball turnaround was due to the financial commitment our President made in allocating additional scholarships through outside funding, but also due in large part to the commitment to care we made," Watson said. "We have always had great coaches and outstanding student-athletes, but I understood as the leader of the department, I had to compete as hard as them to help them level the playing field." 

Boone and Matthews used those resources and went right to work, infusing talent into a roster gutted by the pandemic. The Lady Bears are among the top teams in the league in hitting percentage and has melded two junior college transfers (hitters Kiera Washington and Alexandrea Wright) with two freshmen (libero Chaiza Jones and setter Anya Creecy) in bulding a successful team dynamic. In 2021, the entire team - just seven student-athletes - comprised completely of freshman after the pandemic erased most of the remnants of a program that was already struggling to bring in top talent.

"We were doing our best with what we had. But when you don't have much, it's hard to compete against some of the top programs in our conference," said Boone, who took over the program in 2018. "Now, we have more to offer in scholarships, in giving the players a better experience. Our record is showing that."  

Watson, who has won two SIAC titles and made three NCAA Tournaments leading the men's basketball program at Miles, knew that scholarships would offer the opportunity, but not the experience student-athletes desire when picking a college destination. So he desired building something that would last for future iterations of Lady Bears.

"With the vision of our President, not only did we invest in our student-athletes well-being, but with her support, we were also able to invest in the infrastructure of our programs," Watson said. "We have enhanced the locker rooms, the coach's offices, the weight room, the training room, the playing surfaces. Even the equipment and apparel our student-athletes receive.

"Those commitments have paid immediate dividends for volleyball. The team won more games than they have combined in the previous four years and the most wins in school history this season. They are to be applauded for their efforts, but they understand...we understand...the work is not done."