Benson, Parks tabbed as volleyball coaches of the year

Baker volleyball coach Tomikko Parks and Niceville coach Jill Benson entered the 2011 season with very different expectations placed on them, and both delivered.

For their integral role in their team’s success this season, Parks and Benson have been named as the All Sports Association/Daily News volleyball Coach of the Year. Parks wins the award among small school coaches, while Benson was the recipient among the big schools.

Parks, whose program has made 19 postseason appearances in 20 years and won nine straight district titles, felt the same pressure she felt prior to her first season as a head coach in 2010.

It was that pressure, along with a hardworking assistant coach in Jamie Kerrell and talented players such as Laurie Steele, Taylor Morgan and Katie Wickery, that helped Baker to a 20-4 record and a state runner-up finish.

“There is always the pressure,” said Parks, who was a member of the Gators’ first district title-winning team in 1991. “We’ve had a pretty winning program the last 20 years.

“Being a K-12 school they’ve grown up with the volleyball team winning,” Parks said, “so the girls don’t want to be that team that after nine or 10 years of winning district championships, they’re that ones that don’t.”

Showing herself wise beyond her coaching years, Parks understands that trying to inflict a new identity on a group of teenage girls that have played a variety of sports together their whole lives could be counterproductive.

“Sometimes you have to lead in a certain path because they’re trying to find an identity,” Parks said. “They’ve played together, they’ve known each other. That’s the difference growing up in a school like this.

“They’ve done different sports together. They’re able to read each other so-to-speak .That’s a huge advantage.”

Unlike Parks, who took over in 2010 for long-time Baker coach, Kathy Combest, Benson took over a Niceville program that was looking at their third coach in three years and graduated some key players that led them to a state final four appearance.

With the odds against them, Benson led the Eagles to a 15-6 record and a regional final appearance, where Niceville fell to eventual state champion Tallahassee Leon.

Benson learned quickly that being the third coach to lead the program in as many years wouldn’t be a huge issue with the group of players that remained. As coaches have changed, the bond between the players grew, according to Benson, and senior leaders such as Shelby Russell, Monica Johnson, Hannah Noon and Erika Tuttle took ownership of the team.

“I would say believing in themselves (was key to this team’s success),” Benson said, “because there is a lot of youth and not even just youth but maybe older players that were on JV last year or never saw the court. So really just being able to believe and work as a team. That’s every female sport team’s challenge and I think we came through in the end.”

As Benson deflected credit for the team’s success, Russell spoke to her coaches’ ability.

“She made me a better player by far,” Russell said. “I had a lot of fun this year. We got far, she pushed us.

“She was probably my favorite coach.”

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