The plot thickens. Just saw a post on X from one of the parents who wrote: “unbelievably sad day for all the ladies on the team except one of them”
@vu72 to me this sounds like what I was thinking probably happened- some sort of team incident where Coach Avery dealt with it in a way that led to complaint(s) and ultimately the university sided with the player(s) or Carin decided she had enough. Both she and her husband (when he was men’s soccer coach) have been huge on culture so maybe something happened and she punished/held someone accountable in a way that technically violated ncaa rules etc
It certainly doesnt sound like she lost the locker room, especially as only 2 have transferred since last season.
i really would have been very shocked if it turned out she’d done anything criminally or willfully violated ncaa rules, and if it is some sort of broken promise or falling out with the administration then it doesn’t make sense why it has taken so long (evidenced by her not being at the coaches tour)
Very sad for the athletic department and I hope at some point she’s able to be celebrated (if she wants to ever set foot on valpo’s campus again!)
and now I’ve just seen this by an ex player on Facebook
What a disappointing and heartbreaking decision by the AD. And let’s just say it how it is: Carin held a player accountable for being disrespectful to her teammates.. and now she’s being punished for doing exactly what a coach should do.
As a former player of Carin’s, I was held accountable many times throughout my time in HER program, and I came out a better person because of it. It’s incredibly disappointing to see Valpo turn its back on the values it claims to stand for as a Christian university.
Her success on the court speaks for itself, but the family she built over the past 20 years mean so much more. Valpo volleyball will NEVER be the same💔
After reading that I'm sure volleyball program has lost any support they had from alumni...
Reading the side-by-side statements from Laurel Hosmer and Carin Avery, the tones are significantly different. Hosmer's is cold : a sentence declaring the university is "parting ways" with Avery, followed by a summary sentence without much feeling ("The University gratefully acknowledges..."), especially considering they are written about a beloved coach who has served remarkably for more than a quarter century. Meanwhile, Avery's comes across as caring and warm toward colleagues, friends, players, and families ("wonderful friends" "incredible people" "Blessed to coach").
Hosmer speaks of "the stellar won-loss record compiled," while Avery writes: "Valpo Volleyball has always been about so much more than a game. It's about the people we share the journey with, the relationships we build along the way, and the people we become because of the time we spend together."
A number of Avery's players were in my classes; all were excellent student-athletes and fine representatives of the university who held high regard for their coach. This sad development is hard to understand without further clarifications.
Now contrast Hosmer's comments when announcing the contract extension for Avery in November: "Coach Avery runs a program with a team culture that is second to none and shows continuous commitment to supporting the holistic development and experience of the athletes in her program," Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation Laurel Hosmer said. "She consistently recruits and retains well-rounded student-athletes who succeed on the volleyball court while also excelling in the classroom and serving as great representatives of the volleyball program and the University within the community. It's been my privilege to have a front-row seat to watch her teams succeed over the last two seasons, and I'm looking forward to many more great years for Valpo Volleyball under her leadership."
It seems whatever this issue is has been under review for quite some time in the background. I had no idea she had not been with the team for this time. Was anyone else aware?
Unfortunately this has been brewing for a while. The “issue” in question took place in the spring. The first time I noticed her absence was at a spring match in March, and she continued to be absent through the coaches tour, recruiting trips, and the first three tournaments of the season. This was really just a matter of time I’m afraid.
That said, I don’t think anyone really had any idea that this was a real thing that early. Her absence at the spring match was noticeable, but Nick Polite seemed to be playing a really background role as acting head coach, and in July Paul even named Carin as the one to credit for scheduling Cincinnati and Michigan. Those of us on the academic year calendar who I was talking to about this did not realize that there was anything actually going on until mid-late August.
Comparatively
baseball 1 winning season (30-28) in last 12 years abysmal
womens golf has never won a match...let alone a winning season
womens soccer is average at best...and more recently on the slide in a terrible conference
mens golf despite having 2 prolific golfers never could win conference tournaments(maybe 1x in horizon?)
womens basketball -cmon ...no need to beat a dead horse
football new coach and softball too early to tell
that leaves
mens basketball...better than what we had and reason for optimism
cross country and track seem better with a legitimate coach now
swimming has improved dramatically
tennis has been good recently
bowling-no idea
so no matter how they spin it we lost our best coach from our best program
Hosmer’s attempt was ChatGPT, cookie-cutter like. But I feel there’s more going on besides a student Karen not getting her way.
Hosmer’s attempt was ChatGPT, cookie-cutter like. But I feel there’s more going on besides a student Karen not getting her way.
I agree. The AD isn't going to get involved (I certainly hope not!) if a player is unhappy with a coaches discipline or benching of a player. The AD will and should get involved in an allegation of an NCAA rule violation has been made.
We don't know and most likely will never know the type of violation or mistreatment involved. Given Carin's long standing and success, I very much doubt that this action occurred with little or no facts in support of same.
I find the framing we have seen on social media that Valpo administrators or a single player “ruined things” for Coach Avery and the Valpo volleyball program deeply troubling.
If a coach was let go following a formal university process, that process was to protect students. Blaming a student for a coach facing consequences for her own actions is exactly backwards.
And it causes real harm to real people regardless of matches won in the past and despite genuinely positive impacts on former players.
What a joke
Padilla hired this AD and now our best coach of all time leaves or is forced out -meanwhile the other programs are just crumbling-
First off – this is terrible. Carin was always super nice to me and very well respected with any of the student body that interacted with her, including players. Obviously, all of the facts aren't out, but sad to see her go. She built a great program but also a great culture. She did a lot with a little, which is what you need in today's mid-major world. Her whole family truly embodied the Valpo values. I think getting rid of the soccer program and her husband was a monumental mistake for the University as well. That was another program that always over-performed. Soccer and volleyball are also very popular in Northwest Indiana. These are programs that should be thriving and have under the Avery family leadership. It's sad that their chapter has come to a close.
Secondly, on a separate note – Come on guys, your obsession with Padilla is going a little too far. I get the AD was his hire and he shares some responsibility. But, ultimately, he did not make this decision. And, it seems like every time something goes wrong, people just pile on Padilla. I'm not saying the guy was a genius or anything, he made several mistakes. But, he also inherited a mess. Heckler had a lot of accomplishments, but I think everyone can agree those last few years did not go well. There was a precipitous drop in enrollment and the University was in serious financial trouble. Again, not excusing Padilla, because he also struggled to improve enrollment and did little to turn the ship around in some respects, but he was great at fundraising (one year we had a 133% increase in fundraising during his time). He had to make a lot of difficult financial decisions, many of which I disagreed with, but the tone on this message board always seemed way too combative toward him for some reason. He may not have been a great leader, but his reign wasn't a disaster. Again, I am not saying I was the guy's biggest fan, but I also do not think he was the devious buffoon that he is often portrayed within these comments. I think it's just a little unfair to pile on him nonstop- to me it feels like it's more personal than professional.
Finally, on the AD, I feel like under multiple regimes that we have lacked a true vision/mission. Obviously, winning is the priority, but what is the pathway to reach these goals? What is our strategy? I would love to hear the athletic department articulate more of their vision. Also, it seems like under several programs that we are constantly having issues/scandals, it seems to be a lack of oversight/direction. Even with this situation, more communication and decisiveness was needed.
Let's face the facts. If the framing of this on social media is harming the Athletics Department—and it is—then the public relations approach taken by the university is terrible. On Facebook, there are currently about 90 reactions and 53 comments—many by former players and families of former players. They are unanimously supportive of Carin Avery and critical of the university's actions.
While mindful of privacy concerns, some more general transparency is needed. Otherwise, two options are openly being proposed: First, Carin Avery committed some infraction serious enough to warrant dismissal despite her legendary contributions to Athletics for more than a quarter century; Second, as stated by a former player and a parent, the AD is wrongly accusing Avery of some wrong on the basis of one disgruntled team player. Without facts, neither of these positions is fair, and one or the other taints the reputation of Avery or Hosmer.
Neither conclusion should stand without facts to back them up, but here we are. My understanding is that some players and former players know the situation, as do others around campus, and I'm guessing pieces of the story will get out in time. However, the number one rule of public relations is to get out in front of such an eventuality, to proactively address a sensitive or developing harmful situation by taking control of the narrative rather than scrambling to respond afterwards.
he was great at fundraising (one year we had a 133% increase in fundraising during his time).
I’m sorry, but this is a load of hooey. Padilla promised so many fundraising projects that never came to pass. Remember the new gym? Remember his access college? Remember the new nursing building? The only thing he was able to fund was a freshman dorm, and he had to auction off artwork to get that done, alienating a generation of alumni (and, important to note, donors)
Konkol recently announced a major fundraising boost, too. But it’s easy to have a great year when the year before was in the basement. Give me year-over-year numbers, not just percentages.
I don't know any of the details surrounding the departure of the volleyball coach. Nothing here provides facts associated with her departure (other than she had a long successful history at Valpo).
In regards to Padilla, he was a disaster. He failed on every major measure of the university's performence: enrollment, donations, etc. His actions and behavior as the figurehead of the university were horrible from day one. The access college may have been well-intentioned (not sure), but it was clear from day one that it would do nothing to improve revenue and financial performance of the university...which illustrates that he had no ability to develop and implement meaningful strategy. He had no confidence of anyone from within the university - including those who agreed with selling the art. He was invisible to the Deans and other university leaders outside of his administration. He had massive turnover of senior people in the university administration during his tenure.