Cloud County Sports
David Wilson, Sports Information Director
CONCORDIA, Kansas — Cloud County Community College is turning to a familiar face to take the reins of the volleyball program as the hiring of Deb Monzon for her second stint as Head Coach was approved Tuesday by the Cloud County Community College Board of Trustees.
“I’m very excited about coach Monzon’s return to the program. Her passion for coaching never left and the timing was right,” said Cloud County Athletic Director, Matt Bechard. “I’m excited for her and to see the direction the program will go under her guidance.”
Monzon, a member of the Cloud County Athletics Hall of Fame for her work as a player and coach, has been a staple at Cloud County Community College.
As a student-athlete, she was a member of the Cloud County women’s basketball team’s run to back-to-back Region VI championships in 1978-79 and 1979-80. The T-Birds finished 28-4 overall her sophomore season and became the first Kansas junior college women’s basketball team to play in a NJCAA championship game.
After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from Kansas State University in 1982, Monzon returned to Cloud County Community College as a Health and Exercise Science instructor in 1983. In addition to teaching, she also served as the Head Coach for the softball (1983-1991) and volleyball (1983-1996) programs.
Monzon compiled a 529-200 overall record as Cloud County’s volleyball coach during those 14 seasons, which included a Region VI championship and ninth-place finish at the national tournament in 1987. She will look to duplicate that success as she reassumes her position along the T-Birds’ sideline.
“I’m pretty excited about being back. I watched a lot of volleyball this past fall and it kind of put a spark back in me,” said Monzon, who stepped down in the spring of 1997 after a 43-10 mark the previous fall to focus on being a mother and instructor. “I got that spark back where I was missing volleyball. (Bechard) and I have talked a few other times when the coaching job has come open, but I had to say no because it was not good timing for me and my family. Now, the opportunity was there and I needed to grab it while I could.”
Monzon will take over a Cloud County program that finished 4-28 overall in 2017 and is transitioning to the Division II level.
“I’d like to see us, in the future, being a top team in Division II and even possibly make the transition back to Division I,” Monzon said. “I know that may take some time, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Cloud County is set to bring back eight freshmen from last year’s team and Kayla Garst is signed on to return for her fourth season as Assistant Coach.
While Monzon said she expects new challenges as a head coach in today’s college athletics landscape, her vision and philosophies when it comes to how to construct a successful program at Cloud County remains the same.
“I want the girls to have a vision of what the year is going to be like. I think it’s important they put that in their heads right away. ‘What do we see every day in practice? What are we working on? And what’s our expectation for the end of the year?'” Monzon said. “I think that intensity has to be there every single day. I see our practices being upbeat, intense and I want my kids to first and foremost be good people then secondly good athletes. Student-athletes making good decisions on and off the court is as critical to me as anything.”