Building Trust and Teamwork: VanRoyen’s Vision for Bethel Volleyball
From the court to the sidelines, Brittany VanRoyen brings experience, connection and a team-first mindset to Bethel volleyball
From “Everything starts with a pass” to “Everything starts with me as a coach,” new head volleyball coach Brittany VanRoyen explains her journey from being a libero herself to now supporting her team as a coach from the sidelines.
Growing up, VanRoyen was surrounded by volleyball, as her mother was a volleyball coach herself. She was able to experience playing college volleyball at Friends University before transferring to Newman University and having a baby. This led her to switch from being a player to starting her coaching journey at Neosho County, where her stepdad had been coaching women’s basketball.
“Coaching is all about who you know,” said VanRoyen.
Her first coaching job was as an assistant softball coach instead of volleyball. She was 21 and realized quickly that softball just was not the right fit for her. VanRoyen remembers seeing how excited her head coach was about softball. This made her realize that she did not feel that way about softball, but about volleyball instead. With a new goal in mind, she got an opportunity to be an assistant volleyball coach at Garden City Community College, along with being an assistant women’s basketball coach and the head coach of cheer and dance.
Due to her fiancé going to physical therapy school, they relocated to the Kansas City area, where she coached the volleyball team at Highland Community College. “We had a few really successful seasons up there,” VanRoyen said. She then applied for the head position at Pratt Community College, where Tim Schwarzenberg was the athletic director at the time, and got the job. She spent four years coaching at Pratt before now coaching the volleyball team at Bethel, reuniting with athletic director Tim Schwarzenberg.
“Spring is where development happens,” VanRoyen said when asked how she feels about joining the team during the spring season. She explained that the offseason is a vital piece in moving forward as a team and allows them to grow “bigger, better and stronger.” Arriving at Bethel was smoother than expected due to other coaches welcoming her with open arms. VanRoyen described the culture at Bethel as unique compared to her previous college experiences.
“We are not only here for ourselves, but for all student-athletes, which is quite rare to find.”
The support and communication are not limited to each sport but come from the entire athletic department.
Her goals for the team are to build a strong foundation of trust that each player can rely on for support. “Really, it’s about being present and being in these experiences with them,” she said. “Good or bad, it doesn’t matter.” VanRoyen wants to be a cheerleader for her team as well as a coach. She believes that if the team trusts her, players will better understand the decisions she has to make, creating a stronger team environment. She also expects everyone to bring their own personality to the team. “I believe that to be a well-rounded team, everyone needs to be able to be their authentic selves.” She explained that when players feel comfortable enough to “just be themselves,” they can focus on performing their best on the court.
“Volleyball is a mental sport, and the only way to build upon achievements from last season is to be competitive and push one another.” In volleyball, someone always scores, making it different from many other sports. When players make mistakes and lose a point, they must transition quickly to the next play and showcase their “next ball mentality,” as VanRoyen describes it.
VanRoyen believes the team has strong potential and ambitious goals for the future. “I believe a realistic goal is to host a playoff game each year,” which requires finishing in the top four of the conference. She emphasized this success will not come automatically from last season but requires the entire team to stay unified. By working hard each day, building a positive team environment and refusing to give up, VanRoyen believes the team is capable of great things. “All the hard work will pay off when our team faces tough conference competition.”