Three months ago, Madison Drescher had no clue she’d soon be making the 22-hour and 1,500-mile drive to Syracuse.

Drescher knew she wanted to get into coaching after graduating from Oklahoma. She “tested the waters” on becoming a graduate assistant, but ultimately never found the right opportunity, she said. Back in Southlake, Texas, she even began looking at high school teaching jobs that would also allow her to coach volleyball.

That search ended when Oklahoma assistant coach Jake Barreau texted Drescher asking if she was still looking for a job. Barreau told her it was at Syracuse, and soon after Drescher spoke with SU assistant coach Derryk Williams. A week later, the 22-year-old landed her first college coaching gig.

“A lot of praying went on,” Drescher said. “But I knew that if I wanted to go into coaching, a power-five school, assistant coach right out of school was something I knew I couldn’t pass up.”

Drescher has brought her playing and coaching experience to the Orange, where she’s become a resource on and off the court. Drescher is expected to be a key member of Syracuse’s (3-4) coaching staff following the departure of associate head coach Erin Little, who was named head coach at Cortland in late March.

Drescher admitted the quick transition from being a player to assistant coach will force her to learn on the fly. So far, Williams said she’s adjusted well, which “is not always easy for people to do.” Still, this isn’t Drescher’s first time coaching. In the summer of 2016, Drescher coached Oklahoma Elite Volleyball Club, a club team for girls based in Norman, Oklahoma.

Drescher said her mindset was more “Why not?” while coaching Oklahoma Elite, given she did not have many plans that summer. At the beginning of the season, some of her players didn’t know how to serve but eventually improved to the point of hitting aces. That “rewarding” experience made Drescher want to pursue coaching as a career, she said.

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After Drescher’s junior year at Oklahoma, she had surgery on a shoulder injury which plagued her since she was 16. As a result, she appeared in only six matches during her senior year as her shoulder never fully recovered. Accepting a decreased role during her senior season was tough at first, but it also presented another opportunity for Drescher to coach, this time by mentoring Oklahoma’s younger players. She’s brought that skill from Norman to Syracuse.

“It’s awesome just having her on our team in general,” senior Aliah Bowllan said. “Because I would say in comparison to having an older coach, it’s really helpful to have someone younger that can connect with us more.”

As a coach, Drescher has primarily been working with the middle blockers, where her recent playing experience helped demonstrate skills SU’s coaching staff is looking for, such as arm swing on hits, Bowllan said. While Drescher has made a difference for SU players on the court, Bowllan said Drescher has been equally as impactful off of it.

Drescher is closely involved with the team during study hours and has become an outlet for players to talk about any issues they may be having on the court, or in their personal lives, Bowllan said. At times, Drescher said it’s been difficult to not become the “friendship coach,” as she aims to establish strong relationships with players, while still expecting them to meet the standards the coaching staff expects of them.

Having just concluded a playing career that dates back to when she was in third grade, Drescher has seen the various impacts of coaches, particularly the negative impacts of coaches who constantly berate players. When Drescher sees players make a mistake, she reminds herself not to get mad, remembering that she would make similar mistakes a year ago at Oklahoma.

“I just know as a volleyball player I went through a lot mentally and physically,” Drescher said. “I know it’s hard, especially when you’re 18 years old coming in and getting so much demanded of you.”

Published on September 24, 2019 at 10:18 pm

Contact Alex: athamer@syr.edu