Beyond the Court: A LOVB Podcast

Coach and leadership teacher Don Bartel knows that internal work is key to external success. Outcome-aware but purpose- and process-driven, he has focused on building skills and actions in athletes from middle school all the way to college. Regardless of location, he weaves the lessons he wishes to teach into an athlete’s daily activities and stresses the importance of giving athletes ownership over their situation. Don also recognizes the outsized effect a coach’s mood can have on their team. After a stern talking-to from Courtney’s dad of all people, he learned to allow athletes to celebrate wins and enjoy their successes. He can even celebrate those successes now; not as his own, but as those of people he cares about. In a wide-ranging interview, Mr. Bartel, as Courtney knows him – he coached Courtney and fellow podcast guest Trevor Thompson when they were younger – discusses all this and more in the latest episode of Beyond the Court.

USC Associate Head Coach Tyler Hildebrand has coached a lot of volleyball and a lot of different types of volleyball. One thing that’s followed him at each stop is the leadership and vision he brings to each position. Women or men, indoor or beach, the technical skills aren’t nearly as important as the vision he helps athletes apply to their practice. With all of his athletes, Tyler stresses the actions that have deeper meanings behind them and that reach across broad subjects. Technical aspects are important, but not as important as the lessons that athletes can apply after volleyball, like perseverance or pushing oneself out of their comfort zone. Good friends, Tyler and host Courtney Thompson cover the importance of leadership and vision, how to test new strategies properly, and other topics during the latest episode of Beyond the Court.

Having made the postseason each year of her 27-year career as head coach at Emory University, Jenny McDowell knows all about competition. Under her tutelage, the Eagles never missed an NCAA Division III tournament, winning two national titles and making seven trips to the national semifinals. She proved her commitment to competition to hundreds of Emory’s volleyball athletes by never being outworked and leading by example. More than the 826 career wins or 27 consecutive postseason appearances, Jenny loved making a difference in her athletes' lives. The work ethic she instilled on the court carried over into athletes’ interviews, medical school and just being a good person. Now, as Director of Coach Development with League One Volleyball, she gets to train other coaches who’ll go on to have countless impacts on young athletes.

Suzie Fritz has been around coaches her entire life. Her mother was a coach, as were her father and brother. She even married a coach. It should be no surprise that she herself went into the family business and has spent 30 years coaching volleyball. During her illustrious career, Suzie has developed a mantra: do less, and do it better. One cannot coach everything at once – she’ll be the first to say that – so by narrowing her focus on one topic at a time, she’s been able to concentrate on one aspect of her team’s play and get stronger results. She’ll bring that mantra to the pros as head coach at LOVB Omaha Volleyball, something that she and host Courtney Thompson discuss during the latest episode of Beyond the Court.

After years of out-hustling people on the court – proven by leading USC to back-to-back titles – Nicole Davis realized she needed more once she entered the Team USA gym. She needed an edge, and training her mental skills just like she did her physical skills lifted her to the Olympics and two silver medals. During the latest episode of Beyond the Court, she talks with longtime friend and former U.S. teammate Courtney Thompson about her path to mindset training and the importance of feeling good on the court. Coaches can play an outsized role in this by providing agency to athletes, helping them work through anxiety, and centering their language around optimism and strengths.