Written by Jack Holly'14 - Edited by Corey McCarthy

Saint Joseph's College of Maine was not on Kiah Begley's radar as her years at Saint Thomas Aquinas High School were coming to a close and it became time to start scouting colleges.  She preferred to remain close to her hometown of Berwick, Maine, but also looked forward to the independence of living away from home. 

". . .The Saint Joseph's head volleyball coach at the time, John Razsa, called me and asked me if I was interested in playing at SJC," Begley remembers.  "I didn't think much of it the first time he called, but then he kept calling and asking me to come up for a visit and meet the team."

The perseverance paid off, as Begley visited campus and decided Saint Joseph's was a great fit academically and athletically.  "I really liked the campus and all the people I met," she recalls.  "Next thing I knew I was moving in for preseason in August."

Begley excelled at Saint Joseph's from the get-go. In 2009, she set new team single-season records for assists (703) and assists per set (6.45). She managed to set new marks in both categories several times over the next three seasons and closed her career as the Monks' all-time leader with 2,988 assists and also ranks third in team history with 1,096 digs. After a stellar senior season in which she broke her own mark for assists (843) and helped guide the team to a 22-8 record, Begley became the second Saint Joseph's player to garner All-GNAC honors.

Her playing days will long be remembered at Saint Joseph's, but she recently began a trek down a different path which could lead her to a new level of respect in her sport. Late this past summer, Begley - less than a year removed from playing collegiately - was named as the head girl's volleyball coach at Cheverus High School, a private institution in Portland, Maine.

Begley, who is currently student-teaching at Windham Primary, wants nothing more than to see her players grow, both academically and fundamentally.  In just the school's third year as a varsity sport, the new coach appreciates the situation she's been put in.  "Cheverus is a very new program…and when I came on board, I didn't want my focus to be solely on winning.  I want to focus on helping the girls become better than they were last year, and to learn to love the game."

One of Begley's mentors has been current Saint Joseph's Head Coach Yamile Nolan, who coached Begley for three years at Saint Joseph's and is on the verge of leading the Monks to the team's fourth-consecutive GNAC Tournament berth.  "Coach Nolan is another person that has gotten me to where I am today.  As my coach for four years (Nolan was an SJC assistant in 2009), we had been through a lot and I learned so much about the game and about myself over the years.  She has been supportive of my education and is now continuing her support in my coaching job."

"It's a great opportunity to coach a player for four years," adds Coach Nolan. "I had the opportunity to watch Kiah grow and mature, not only athletically but also academically and on a personal level, during here time here." "As a player, she was a tough competitor but also very coachable and willing to take direction. She also has the ability to lighten the mood with her sense of humor when a situation calls for it. I have total confidence that she will do an excellent job as a coach and teacher for many years to come."

One of Begley's first moves was to hire a junior varsity coach and she decided to tab former St. Joe's player Amanda Ruel '09 to fill the post. In an important position to help the program grow, Ruel – who teaches at Old Orchard Beach High School – will work closely with Begley to help develop young players as they enter the program.

The early returns on Begley's foray into coaching are quite positive. Although her focus wasn't entirely on winning, Begley's coaching philosophy led to the program's most successful season to date. The Stags recently completed their 2013 season with a 6-9 record and made an appearance in the postseason for the first time in the team's young history. Biddeford, a traditionally-strong program, defeated Cheverus by a 3-0 tally in the tourney contest, but the set scores were close.

"My players have grown so much since the start of the season," says Begley.  "We switched some positions around and I forced them to be out of their comfort zone, which I imagine could have been difficult for them coming from a new coach. But I have seen such improvement in them in such a short time, and that is all I really wanted to accomplish when I accepted the job."

There's no denying her dedication to her players and the school's up-and-coming volleyball program.  "I'd love to stay with Cheverus, build the program up, and work with the players throughout their four years in high school," she adds. "I've learned so much from coaching these past couple of months. I have already identified some of the things I might do a bit differently next year."

Her athletic director, Gary Hoyt, has been impressed with her thus far. "Kiah has been an absolutely fantastic addition to the coaching staff here at Cheverus," adds Hoyt, who has served in his current capacity at Cheverus for 33 years. "She is welcoming to new ideas, very focused and technically-sound in her teaching of the sport. She has developed an incredible relationship with the players on the team and, in a very short time, has improved the program in every aspect. I couldn't be happier with Kiah's coaching effort thus far."

One of the marks of every successful coach is earning the team's respect and, despite not being that far out of high school herself, Begley seems to have it. "When she speaks, they listen," says Hoyt.

"Overall, I couldn't be more proud of my girls for all their hard work this season," says Begley. "They proved how hard they wanted to win and they put everything they had on the court in the final game against Biddeford. I think they made a statement for the volleyball program at Cheverus."

Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.