Concordia Irvine men’s volleyball alumni Logan Glave earned his first career win as interim head coach and snapped the Golden Eagles 10-game losing streak in a series sweep against Jessup University on March 7.      

Glave’s promotion to interim head coach came after the departure of former interim head coach Chris Seiffert, who left midseason to pursue an assistant coach position at Loyola Marymount University for the women’s volleyball team.      

Glave received the news last Monday, and admitted it was a surprise filled with mixed emotions.

“I’m really excited for Coach Seiffert and his new job, it’s a big step up for him,” said Glave. “I was not expecting to become a head coach at Concordia at this age, but it’s a new adventure that I'm ready to give my all to these guys for the last six weeks.”     

After graduating, Glave initially had his professional interests set on either a military or firefighting academy. However, an annual catch-up text from Seiffert opened the door to an assistant position at his alma mater. 

Seiffert had served as an assistant coach during Glave’s senior year at CUI before he took over as the interim head coach last season and led the Golden Eagles to a 6-19 record.

“It’s not just about winning games, it’s about growing the individual as an athlete and a person,” said Glave. “That’s what Seiffert did for me and I am super grateful to him as he helped me grow as a person. I’m excited to see how these guys grow as teammates, friends and people.” 

Despite his first  loss against The Master’s University in straight sets at the helm of the Golden Eagles, Glave spent the first week assembling a staff composed of former teammates and CUI alumni, resulting in two thrilling victories over the Jessup Warriors.    

The four set win over Jessup marked the Golden Eagles first win since the sweep against D’Youville University Jan. 18, improving CUI to a 6-11 overall record.

Glave addressed his team’s competitive nature in the practice gym, encouraging them to view this as an opportunity to prove to themselves and others that they could turn the season around, even in the midst of adversity.      

“I think we’ve had a shift in our mindset and culture after our season wasn’t going as well as we wanted it to,” said Glave. “I emphasized that this is a clean slate for us and I want us to have the mentality that this is a brand new season for us. Forget our record beforehand, it’s a new season and we are 0-0.”      

Long Island University transfer setter/middle blocker Kasey Clouet and middle blocker John Rzepniewski from Westcliff University saw the benefit of the team’s fresh start.   

Clouet earned his first career start at setter in the first matchup against Jessup, finishing the night with 35 assists and a team-high seven digs. Clouet played the majority of this season in the middle blocker position for the Golden Eagles, currently ranking fifth on the team in kills with 65.      

Rzepniewski registered four kills at a .222 hitting percentage in his fourth career start, just two kills short of reaching a career-high five kills in the loss against the Master’s on Jan. 31.  

In only his fifth start of the season, outside hitter Gage Doble matched a season-high 15 kills and outside hitter Ties Cornelissen followed closely behind with 12 kills.

The Golden Eagles defeated the Warriors in straight sets in the second match of the series 26-24, 25-19, and 25-18. Doble and Cornelissen combined for 21 kills on the night and middle blocker Clement Osahon Jr. added six kills on 11 attempts for a .455 hitting percentage.

Setter Makai Lipson shared that the team is committed to supporting Glave through this transition and determined to give him their best effort. “He’s sacrificed a lot in order to accept this role and his effort towards our team throughout this whole process has ignited a fight in us for the rest of the season,” said Lipson. “We are focusing on one day at a time, concentrating on each rep and not looking at the end result.”   

With only 10 games remaining in the regular season, the Golden Eagles are eager to carry this momentum under Glave into Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play, setting their eyes on upsetting the No. 15 Grand Canyon in a two-game series on the road in Phoenix, Ariz. 

 

Tags: volleyball, sports, coaching

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