Abbie Wright, now in her second season with Oregon State University volleyball, has advanced to the position of associate head coach in the upcoming season.
Her dual function as a coach and the program’s recruitment coordinator defines her presence on the squad.
The Beavers have made progress under Wright’s leadership. For the first time since 2011, the squad defeated multiple ranked opponents, demonstrating their competitive advantage. At home, they swept the Arizona schools, last accomplished in 2017, according to her bio on the OSU Athletics website.
On the road, they dominated the Washington schools, matching a sweep that has not been seen since 2017. Furthermore, her leadership contributed to individual performances, with two players receiving Pac-12 Player of the Week recognition.
Wright attributes much of the program’s success to its three major pillars: winning more, competing in everything and creating a positive culture.
“Getting wins and being more mindful of winning is helping us,” Wright said. “Whether it’s a little game in practice or off the court getting a win in the classroom. We had one of the highest GPAs we’ve had in a long time. That’s because we’re mindful and just like, ‘Hey, let’s win off the court too.’”
These ideas apply to multiple facets of the players’ lives, not simply their performance on the court, according to Wright.
“Competing in everything we do, whether it’s practice or out of practice, just finding ways to be really excellent,” she said. “Spending time together and getting to know each other off the court has really helped with (great culture) as well.”
Wright believes in the power of good influence.
“When you have good people around the program, you will attract good players and people who want to be around the program,” Wright said.
Wright recognizes the challenges of being seen as the underdog in the Pac-12.
“You overcome that narrative,” she said. “There were some five-set wins; we went to five a lot this year, and that showed us that we can stay in the game. Until you get some wins in those five-game matches, that gives us a sense of overcoming something that’s difficult. So some of those ranked wins are confidence building and bring more success later.”