First-year coach leads Indians to Class 1 final four

First-year St. Vincent coach Cindy Cissell has helped many teams win in her 20-plus years as a club and high school volleyball coach.

But she's never seen a team take to her advice and turn it into a winning season as quickly as the Indians have this year, in their improbable run to the Class 1 state final four.

"To do it this quickly is definitely a first," Cissell said after guiding St. Vincent to its first state final four appearance since 2007. "To see a change in a team with all the talent in the world was definitely surprising. There were small little mechanical things and positionings on the court, but a lot of it was mentality. This game is all about mentality, and once you get that, the rest of the mechanics fall into place."

The Indians finished 14-16-1 and lost to Leopold in the district championship last season. In their first year under Cissell, the Indians have improved to 25-12-1 and made a memorable postseason run.

St. Vincent defeated Leopold in a three-set district championship thriller before ousting Clarkton in a sectional match and Bernie in the quarterfinals.

Cissell grew up playing volleyball and continued to play through high school. Once her playing career ended, the idea of coaching was a no-brainer for Cissell.

She began her coaching career in the late 1980's when she coached a club volleyball team made up of many players from St. Vincent. There was a learning process for everyone involved when she began.

"I knew how to play the game, but translating that over into a way that my players could understand was hard at first," Cissell said about that first year. "It got easier with time and I think that was when I really developed the coaching style which I still use today."

In 1992 Cissell took her first high school coaching job as an assistant at St. Vincent. She coached there for four years before landing the coaching position at Meadow Heights High School.

Cissell said coaching at the high school level made her realize that she sometimes needs to take a smaller role in matches.

"For me it was, and still is, all about the coaching I do in practice," Cissell said. "As a coach it's my responsibilty to have those girls ready come game timem and at that point the stage is theirs. If I'm doing my job correctly, I shouldn't have to interfere during a game and tell them exactly what to do. They are talented enough to play; they just have to go out and do it. There are times this season, and really for every team I've coached, where I've had to step in, but it all comes down to them."

Cissell took hiatus from coaching at the high school level to earn her teaching degree. When her daughter Kelsey Cissell was old enough to play volleyball, Cissell coached her club volleyball team all the way up until Kelsey began attending St. Vincent.

Kelsey was part of the 2007 St. Vincent team which made it to the state final four. The Indians finished second in state that year after losing to Stockton in straight sets in the final. Cissell said there are similarities between coaching a state-bound volleyball team and watching one.

"I don't know that there is any difference. My nerves are shot now just like they were in the stands," Cissell said with a laugh. "You're sitting on the seidelines and you're thinking, 'What can I do to help this team win,' and you're sitting in the stands as a parent thinking, 'What can I do to help this team win,' it's different, but it's the same all at once."

Practice is still the same for a Cissell-coached team 20 years later. For the Indians it involves a number of things including conditioning, drill work and most importantly mental preparedness. To get mentally prepared, the Indians watch film on opposing teams.

"On big games we like to try and have that film," Cissell said. "It's an advantage in and of itself because you can see and know what they're going to do, how they're going to react to things before you even play them.

"There are other times when you simply don't have it. When that's the case you just have to go out and play your game like the good old days, and do the best you can while making adjustments throughout the game and hope its not too late."

St. Vincent junior Katie Verseman said practice can be tough with Cissell, but the veteran coach has taught her a number of things in her first year with the Indians. None have been more important than her attitude on the court, which Cissell instilled in her.

"She runs us hard and we do sprints every day, but it's all worth it," Verseman said. "It's definitely the never die, don't give up attitude. We don't give up on any ball, any point or let three points take us down. She's taught us to keep going and stay positive. I think we'll continue to play every point like it's our last one, and that mentality comes from our coach."

St. Vincent will begin pool play in the state final four Friday at the Show Me Center. Cissell said she hopes her experience as a coach will help her team get focused.

"I've been through these kinds of games, but they haven't," Cissell said. "I know they're excited and I know they're going to be nervous and it's just trying to stay focused on your task at hand. I told them today, 'If you don't stay focused, it's going to jump up and bite you,' They've got to find some way to stay focused this week."

---

To see a change in a team with all the talent in the world was definitely surprising. There were small little mechanical things and positionings on the court, but a lot of it was mentality.*"

CINDY CISSELL

St. Vincent volleyball coach