Meet the new volleyball coach Michelle Quon
Michelle Quon starts coaching in August (Courtesy of Michelle Quon)
Michelle Quon is taking over as the new head coach of women’s volleyball at Saddleback College for the fall 2013 semester, and is coming in with new ideas to boost the players’ skills and opportunities.
Quon said she wants to pass on her enjoyment for the sport, and that volleyball has given her many opportunities that she wouldn’t have had otherwise.
“I got to go play overseas, I got to go live in the Midwest, I made some of my best friends and I got to go to college for free,” Quon said.
According to Quon, she was a defensive specialist in high school and college, and has played in Chicago and Holland.
“The volleyball world ends up being a lot smaller than you think,” Quon said. “I actually played with Carmen when I was in club. That’s the fun part of the sport, you make second and third families.”
Quon wants to develop that same family bond with the women on the Saddleback team and reestablish it as one of the top programs in the area.
She has been coaching volleyball on and off since 2001, starting after she graduated under-grad UCLA and played for a couple of years. In 2008, Quon briefly worked as an assistant to former coach Carmen Stratton, who she’s been friends with since they were 13 years old.
“As a player I really love the team aspect of it, and I guess as a coach too,” Quon said. “It is kind of like the ultimate team sport, and I’ve always enjoyed it since I first started playing.”
Coming back to Saddleback, Quon said she wants to work with Kevin Hodge to make the program a segway for girls, who are planning on going to a four-year college.
“I think we really put a lot of emphasis on training, and I think if during their time here, we can help refine certain parts of their skills, and their volleyball IQ, then it will open up more doors as far as four-year,” Quon said.
Another aspect that she wants to help with is figuring out what they want to do and help, and getting their academics settled as well.
The first gym volleyball practice with Quon will be on August 15, and there are plans to start a beach volleyball team at Saddleback next spring.
“I never thought I’d play again. I didn’t want to deal with kids, didn’t want to deal with teenagers, but it suited me.”
For more info on Saddleback’s women’s volleyball go to:
http://www.saddleback.edu/athletics/Volleyball/index.html
For more on Coach Quon go to:
http://www.lbvbc.com/michelle-quon/
http://saddlebackgauchos.com/sports/wvball/2012-13/releases/201304171u24dc
Quon’s stats and info from UCLA
http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/quon_michelle00.html