Lindsey Behonick has been the head coach of the volleyball team since December 2022, and she likes to win.
With the Beavers spending the next two seasons in the West Coast Conference as their temporary home, she will have her work cut out for her in adjusting to an entirely new set of conference foes.
Prior to her coaching job at Oregon State University, Behonick spent 10 seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh where she helped guide them to seven appearances in the NCAA tournament, three Elite Eights, and back-to-back appearances in the Final Four.
Behonick, who played at Concordia University from 2004 to 2008, was a two-time NAIA All American honoree at middle blocker while she earned her bachelor’s degree in business sports management. She would later go on to earn her master’s in coaching and athletic administration.
In an interview with The Daily Barometer, Behonick talked about the development of her players and the future she hopes to see.
Editor’s note: Some of Behonick’s answers have been truncated for length and clarity.
Q: What are your thoughts on the newly released schedule for the upcoming season?
A: I’m really excited for it. I think what we have planned for non-conference is some really good competition, with a lot of teams that have made the postseason, so I think it’s a good test to see how we compete. I think it can prepare us for the conference schedule as well.
Q: Can you share your strategy behind selecting the tournaments and matches for this season?
A: We’re in the West Coast Conference now, so for us the plan is hopefully to get more wins; of course we have to execute that. I wanted to make sure that we were playing some strong teams in the non-conference that can help with RPI (Rating Percentage Index), and then hopefully, later down the road, if we become a possible NCAA tournament contender, maybe some of those resume wins could help us.
Q: How are you and the team preparing for the first tournament at Grand Canyon University?
A: They’re on their own right now; we don’t have any summer access to our athletes, so our first practice is actually August 8, and I’m excited to get in the gym with them, and I don’t think I’m looking ahead at how we’re going to beat those teams just yet, because I need to make sure that our team is a cohesive group, and we’re connecting great and taking everyday as it comes… Two out of three of those teams made the NCAA tournament, so I think it will be a good challenge right at the start.
Q: As you enter your second season as head coach, what are your main goals for the team this season?
A: To keep growing, not just in the win category, but just keep developing players. I think we have a lot of good athletes here that just keep wanting to get better, even if they’re really good at their craft. I can just see them having the hunger and the urge to get better in maybe some other type of skill or excel somewhere else, maybe in the classroom or more community outreach, but as I’m entering the second year, ultimately, for on the court, I want to produce wins, but we’re not win-at-all-costs. And I think hopefully fans saw that last year, that there’s a lot of potential with this group, and just really looking at continuing that on.
Q: Can you highlight any emerging talents or newcomers to watch out for the fans?
A: In January, we brought in a transfer, Annika Hester. She came from the University of San Diego. She’s a right side originally from the other Portland in Maine, and she was a Gatorade State Player of the Year in high school. She’ll be exciting to watch; she’s got a great arm and likes to smash the ball and is a very good blocker. You’ll also see a lot of that charisma on the court, where she just has the will to win.
We have another incoming freshman. She started with us in January. She’s originally from Turkey and her name is Yasemin Narlioglu, and she’s actually trained with the youth national teams in Turkey, and she’s a very elite passer and really good setter.
In terms of some of our returners, I think people will get excited about Vivian Light. She’s recovered from an ACL injury that she had a season or two ago, and this past year she was rehabbing and returning to play, and this was her first full spring training block that she’s had in a while, and it’s just been great to see how she’s grown as a player, as a true six rotation, outside hitter and as an emerging leader. She just surprises me every day with the courage and the determination to be even better than she was pre-injury.
Q: Can you talk about any significant changes or additions to your coaching staff or support team?
A: I had the honor to hire Aaron Samarin (as an assistant coach), who had played at Ohio State University and won two NCAA national championships back to back. That’s pretty hard to do in college volleyball, and two in a row is a big deal. From a defensive perspective, he’s really knowledgeable in numbers and statistical information, so we’re able to explore the game a little differently than maybe we have in the past. He actually worked with my now associate head coach, Abbie, at a previous school as well.
Q: What message do you have for fans of the Oregon State Women’s Volleyball team with the season almost underway?
A: I think the fans will be, if they came to the games this past year, excited to see the future of this program. I think you’ll see a lot of girls that go for it all the time. We want to win the long rallies and kind of just put on a good show, in essence. We’re in the WCC (West Coast Conference), and I want to make Oregon State and Gill Coliseum a really tough environment for teams to come in and play, and obviously we need the help of our fans’ support and the Corvallis community. But I think you’ll see a lot of grit, a lot of fun and some good volleyball.
Q: Are there any other closing remarks you want to add?
A: I think fans just need to be excited about women’s volleyball. It’s an emerging sport in the country and the nation, and I think there’s been a lot of sellouts. We’ve seen it with other sports, and I just want to keep growing the fan base here, so ultimately we can also start breaking records. I think that we can do that in the Corvallis community in years to come.
The Beavers will begin their season on August 24 at 4:00 p.m. against University of Oregon in Corvallis.
More information about women’s volleyball at OSU can be found on their website.