Grantham, PA –
Judi Tobias, Messiah College's women's volleyball coach for the past 19 years, announced over the weekend that 2015 would be her final season on the sideline. Tobias has an overall record of 341-232 with the Falcons, and has led the program to seven straight Commonwealth Tournaments.
"I think this is a good time," Tobias said, commenting on her decision. "This is a good time for me, and it's a good time for the program.
"I hope that next year is a great year. I really don't want it to be about me; I want us to play well, and I want us to work hard, and to be a unified team. I think we can do that, because that's who we are."
Tobias started as the Falcons' head coach in 1996, and in 19 seasons the Falcons have finished above .500 in 13 different years. Her teams have won at least 15 games in 13 seasons, and they've reached the 20-win plateau seven times. Her 341 wins are a program record for a coach, ahead of the 319 wins of Joan Chamberlain, Tobias' former coach.
Next season will be Tobias' 20th on the bench, one more than Chamberlain.
"I never would have thought it would be this long," Tobias said, laughing. "When I started my youngest child, Logan, was two years old. Now, he's a senior (at Messiah). Where does the time go?
"The time has gone fast, but the Messiah community has been awesome for our family."
Though the program has been successful throughout most of her time on the sidelines, the Falcons have achieved new levels of greatness in the past seven years. Messiah advanced to the Commonwealth Semifinal in 2008, 2009, and 2010, and they've advanced to the Commonwealth Championship in each season since 2011.
"I feel like we started to hit a stride about ten years ago," Tobias said. "We brought in a big class with a lot of height, and I felt like we started to turn a corner. We struggled at first, but it was fun to see change happen fast."
In addition to the team's accomplishments, Tobias has coached 35 All-Conference Players, including two Rookies of the Year. Tobias has also earned three Coach of the Year awards, including in both 2011 and 2012.
"Every year we've had players that made me think, 'Wow, they're great, and they add so much,'" Tobias said, reflecting back on her teams. "I really think that every player that came through did so at an ideal time for themselves and our program.
"I'm really going to miss the relationships with the players."
Though Tobias will retire from coaching after the season, she will remain on campus as the Senior Lecturer in
Health & Physical Education. After the season, Messiah College Athletics will also launch a national search for the program's next head coach.
