BRITTANY HUYSER SMITH
Coach's Email
Entering her fifth season as head coach, Brittany Smith is coming off a season in which she led her team to a 32 - 8 record, a second straight Mid-Central College Conference championship, an appearance in the conference tournament finals, and a top 25 finish in the national rankings. As a by-product of the team's success on the court, for the second year in a row Smith was named the MCC Coach of the Year in 2008.
In 2009 Smith will continue to build on lessons learned from previous seasons to continue to push the players to become the best they can be. "Each player in this program has been blessed with a gift, the gift of athletics and playing volleyball. As a coach, it is my call to help players reach their highest potential so they can glorify God by using His gift to them fully."
When Smith felt called to return to her alma mater for the 2005 season, she felt that same responsibility in her own life. "I love to teach the game of volleyball. It is a God-given passion of mine. There is no greater joy for me than when I can pass knowledge and experience on to a player which in turn enables her to become better. That to me is very exciting."
Smith also looks at volleyball as a platform for personal development. "I think the biggest challenge as a coach is to help players develop internal motivation to push themselves. Hebrews says that no discipline is pleasant at the time, but painful. However, later on it produces righteousness. Taylor players are developing lifelong skills for their careers, relationships with others and with God--skills that are based on self-motivation; discipline; and, above all, passion and excellence. As a wife and mother, I daily see how those lessons learned through a simple game impact my life. It is a humbling privilege to share that process with our players, and to help them find their own path as they learn these lessons. It isn't always easy, and if our program was only about winning, we might not take each of those lessons so seriously. But because we feel that through the game of volleyball, we are learning spiritual and practical disciplines, we strive hard to incorporate those lessons as they arise in the game as well as in life."
Since arriving at Taylor in 2005, Smith's teams have posted an overall record of 117-53. Over the last four seasons, she has coached nine First Team All-Conference players, three straight MCC Setters of the Year, one MCC Freshman of the Year, and two NAIA/AVCA All-Region selections. Smith has coached ten NAIA Scholar-Athletes and her teams have been named NAIA Scholar Teams each of the last three seasons. Since taking over the Trojan volleyball program, all players that played their final season under Coach Smith have graduated.
No stranger to the Taylor Volleyball tradition, Smith started four years (1996 - 1999) under then head coach Angie Fincannon. She was selected as a NAIA First Team All-American in 1998 and was a NAIA Second Team All-American selection in 1999.
Following her senior season in 1999, Smith was also named a NAIA Scholar-Athlete for her combined efforts on the court and in the classroom. To conclude her senior year, she was selected as the winner of the 1999 - 2000 Lady Trojan Award, emblematic of Taylor's most outstanding female athlete.
Prior to her return to Taylor, Smith had been involved in volleyball at a variety of levels. She has over seven years of club and high school experience in Michigan and Indiana. Her most recent position had been at Forest Hills Northern High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she helped lead the team to a runner-up finish in the Michigan Class A State Finals. During this time, Smith also worked at Bethany Christian Services National Office in quality management and accreditation.
In addition to coaching responsibilities at Taylor, Smith also is the teaching coach at Taylor's Momentum Club, a USAV volleyball club for young women ages 12-18. She also has participated in volleyball clinics and camps for the last 12 years, most recently including the 2008 Ball State team camp, 2009 Bowling Green State University Team Camp, and as the Head Coach for several local high school summer camps. Smith oversaw and directed the inaugural Trojan Select Volleyball Camp, the first ever high school volleyball summer camp held on Taylor University's campus in July 2009.
Smith teaches volleyball in the Physical Education and Human Performance department at Taylor and Social Welfare Policy in the Social Work department. She is currently the Mid-Central College Conference volleyball chairperson, and also regularly works with other young women coaches through active mentorship, including the establishment of a Young Women Coaching Forum held in the spring of 2009.
When not coaching, Smith likes to spend time at home with her family, including her 4-year-old son, Jack; her 18-month-old daughter, Audrey; and husband, Eric.
The Smith Files
Taylor University, BA in History, Minor in Economics, 2000
University of Michigan, Master's of Social Work - Social Policy and Children and Youth, 2002
Club Coaching Experience
Momentum Volleyball Club (Upland, Indiana)
Carpe Diem Volleyball Club (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
High School Coaching Experience
Forest Hills Northern High School (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Camp Experience
Guest Coach - Notre Dame Volleyball Camp (South Bend, Indiana)
Guest Coach - Bowling Green State University Team Camp (Bowling Green, Ohio)
Guest Coach - Ball State University Team Camp (Muncie, Indiana)
Head Coach - FCA - University of Findlay Volleyball Camp (Findlay, Ohio)
Head Coach - FCA - Bluffton University Volleyball Camp (Bluffton, Ohio)
Head Coach - Bethesda Christian High School (Brownsburg, Indiana)
Head Coach - Madison Christian High School (Groveport, Ohio)
Coach - Forest Hills Northern High School (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Coach - Forest Hills Central High School (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Head Coach - Third Reformed Church Sports Camp (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
ASSISTANT COACHES
ASSISTANT COACH - ASHLEE ZEIGLER
Ashlee Zeigler is entering her first season as an assistant coach for the Trojans and fourth season of coaching overall.
The Pendleton, Ind., native played under head coach Brittany Smith from 2004-08, helping lead the Trojans to three consecutive 30+ win seasons and back-to-back Mid-Central College Conference regular season championships in 2007 and 2008.
In 472 career sets for the Trojans, Zeigler accumulated 1,676 digs to place her fourth on Taylor's all-time list for digs per set.
Before joining the Trojans, Zeigler played for the Asics Munciana Volleyball Club where she reached the national tournament level four times.
At the club level, Zeigler coached for Momentum Volleyball Club from 2006-08 and directed the club in the 2008 season. She spent one season as an assistant coach for Asics Munciana in 2009.
From 2006-09, she served as the head coach of the Liberty Christian Volleyball Camp in Anderson, Ind. Zeigler was also a camp instructor at the 2007 Fellowship of Christian Athletes volleyball camp at the University of Findlay. At the inaugural Trojan Select Volleyball Camp held on Taylor's campus in 2009, Zeigler served as the top instructional assistant.
As a part of Taylor's staff, Zeigler will focus primarily on the defensive specialists. She also will be responsible for all strength and conditioning programs, as well as on-campus recruitment.
Graduating from Taylor with a degree in exercise science and a minor in management, Zeigler worked for the last seven months as a personal trainer at White River Fitness Club in Anderson, Ind., before rejoining the Trojans.
ASSISTANT COACH - NATE BUTCHER
Nate Butcher is in his first year as an assistant coach for the Trojan volleyball team. Butcher graduated from Taylor in 2009 Cum Laude with a degree in business management.
While at Taylor, Butcher participated as a player and coach for Taylor's men's volleyball club team. The team competed against club teams from the likes of Ohio State, Cincinnati, Missouri, and Bradley.
The Greenwood, Ind., native attended Center Grove High School where he competed on the varsity men's volleyball team. He was an Indiana Boys Volleyball Coaches Association All-Star in 2004-05 and was named to the IBVCA All-Academic team in the same year.
He and his wife, Theresa, who is a senior management/marketing major at Taylor reside in Upland.