Episode 2

The Start of Something Good: Terry Pettit and His Role in the Very Beginning of Women’s Collegiate Volleyball

For 23 years, one of the most talented and respected Women’s Volleyball coaches was Nebraska’s Terry Pettit. He was there at the very beginning of women’s collegiate sports, and in many ways helped shape what NCAA volleyball is today.

Janice talks to Terry about what it was like coaching an entire team back in the early days when resources were so scarce the team only had a single ball to practice with. It was a rough start, but one that changed countless lives for the better.

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Janice Kruger

Janice coached college volleyball for thirty years. She began coaching at the Community College level for one year, then spent nine years at the University of Nebraska at Omaha NCAA Division II level and finished her collegiate coaching career as the head coach of the University of Maryland Terrapins Division I program for 20 years. She led four teams into the NCAA Division II National Championship, won 10 career conference titles, and was recognized 6 times both for Conference and Region Coach of the Year honors. In 2023, Janice was inducted in to the Omaha University (formerly University of Nebraska-Omaha) Athletic Hall of Fame.
Her peers honored her success in coaching by voting her twice as the NCAA Division II American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Coach of the Year (1983 and 1986.)