Penn State women’s volleyball alumna Abby Detering returned to Rec Hall last Sunday in her new role as an assistant coach at Rutgers.
Detering, who hails from Mentor, Ohio, played two seasons for the Nittany Lions after transferring from Florida prior to her junior year. Detering was a versatile talent at setter and right-side hitter, at times running a 6-2 offense with Bryanna Weiskircher.
Detering led the Nittany Lions to a 33-2 record and an appearance in the 2017 Final Four as a senior, earning AVCA All-American honorable mention. Detering finished her Penn State career with 1,793 assists, 418 digs, 254 kills, 122 blocks, and 73 aces. She graduated from the university in December 2017 with a degree in communication arts and sciences before beginning her professional volleyball career overseas.
Detering signed with SG Kelag Klagenfurt of the Austrian A1 League for the remainder of the 2017-18 season before heading to Pays d’Aix Venelles of the French A1 League the following season. Detering returned to her home state of Ohio and began coaching at Kent State prior to the 2019 season. She spent three seasons with the Golden Flashes before joining the Scarlet Knights’ staff this offseason.
Following Penn State’s sweep of Rutgers Sunday at Rec Hall, Detering kindly took the time to answer some questions about her experience at Penn State, her thoughts on Russ Rose’s retirement, and how her coaching career is going so far, among other topics, in an exclusive interview with DigNittanyVolleyball. The transcript can be found below.
How did you decide you wanted to get into coaching?
“I had amazing coaches. Russ, obviously, being one of them, Salima [Rockwell], Craig [Dyer], so I had a lot of great mentors throughout all of it. My experience at Penn State made me want to be a coach. I wanted to be a part of something. If I could impact one player how those three impacted me during my time here, I think I would be so thrilled. It’s been really awesome. I was at Kent State for three seasons. This is my first year at Rutgers. It’s a good group. It’s a building program, so it’s a little bit different, but the girls work hard, and I’m so happy to be a part of it.”
What are some things you learned at Kent State that translated to Rutgers?
“I think, overall, my biggest thing was, ‘What’s my coaching style?’ I don’t think anyone’s going to be Russ Rose or Salima or Craig or any of those coaches who I had. You have to find your own style. I think at Kent State, my boss, Don Gromala, he was really good at giving me leeway of trying to find my coaching style, so it’s been cool.”
What are your thoughts Russ retiring?
“Oh, man, I love him. I’m happy for him. It’s sad not to see him in the volleyball world anymore. I would have loved to have coached against him, but I’m happy for him. I saw him today and he seems like he’s doing well. I’m really happy for Katie [Schumacher-Cawley]. I think Katie’s doing an awesome job here as well.”
What are some things that stand out about Katie’s personality?
“I think Katie’s a badass. I think she still brings what Penn State is, because she was a part of it. She won a national championship, so she’s holding those girls to the standard. I think that’s what they need. She’s doing some really good stuff with them. There have been, obviously, a lot of changes, but it’s still Penn State. I’m really proud of what she’s doing and of the move to her as the head coach.”
What are some things that Penn State did well today? What made it a challenge?
“The biggest thing is they’re a physical team. It’s really hard. I think their offense is their best part, and they play hard. No matter what the score is, they’re always going to give their full effort. They’re not a team that’s going to back down. They came and brought it. I think just going against them, it was good for our team and a good experience, because no matter what, even if we felt like we were in a good groove, they’re going to push you to always give your best effort. I think their biggest things are their offense and their fight, honestly.”
What was your professional volleyball experience like?
“It was awesome. I played two seasons, one in Austria and then the other one in France. The style is different. It was cool. I think that’s helped my coaching career, because I was at Florida, then Penn State, then I had the overseas experience. It’s cool not all volleyball is played the same way. For me, I got to learn different experiences to help my future career in coaching now.”
How has your background as a setter and a hitter helped you as a coach?
“I know the game, so I’m able to help out our hitters with ‘What’s the block doing?’ Or our setters with what decisions they should be making. I was in that role and I know what it’s like to be on the court, so I think I help a lot with our setters with what decisions they should make.”
What were some of the highlights of your experience at Penn State?
“Oh, my gosh. Obviously, going to the Final Four was huge. I loved it. But just being in this gym and the atmosphere in here, there’s no other gym like it. It’s awesome to see how at 1 p.m. on a Sunday the crowd’s this big, and we still have the band and all of that. I think just being in this gym, it brought so many great memories and it’s pretty awesome. That was probably my favorite part was playing at home.”
What was it like watching Haleigh Washington and Micha Hancock win an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo?
“Oh, amazing. It’s so cool to see them do that, and now to see other [Penn State] players who are in the USA gym. I still talk to them all the time. They even give me advice for coaching now. I’m just so proud. The effort they gave in the gym at the age that they were during that time, it really brought more into their career later on. It’s just awesome to have been a part of that and to be able to play with them. To see them go further, I’m just proud of the Penn State people leaving that legacy there, too.”
What’s your relationship like with Kendall White, Nia Reed, Ali Frantti, and all your former teammates?
“I call them all the time. I love me some Whitey. I was just talking to Nia. She’s in Korea right now. Ali’s doing great with the USA team. My class, across the board, they’re still playing — the majority of them. It was a really good class. The ones who aren’t playing, some are still involved with coaching. Clearly, all of our experiences at Penn State were so great that we continued either playing or coaching. I think that speaks a lot.”
What do you love most about coaching and just being a part of the volleyball community, in general?
“The players. That’s easy. I think the girls are such a great group. Those who want to get to a point of playing at their best, it’s really awesome to push someone to a higher standard.”
What advice do you have for the current Penn State players?
“Keep grinding. They know that. Every day, they come in and they work hard. There are a lot of people who come in and support them. I think, as long as they continue doing their thing and representing the school, they’re going to be great.”
What’s your relationship like with the rest of the Rutgers staff?
“I love Caitlin [Schweihofer]. Robbie [Belden’s] great. Although I’ve only been here for one season, I feel like I’ve been here for five. The staff’s super close. I think, for me, especially coming to this level now as a coach, there is a learning curve. Both of them have been amazing, just being there for one another and helping support. I truly believe in the vision of Rutgers volleyball. I think, a couple years down the road, just to see the progress, and already see the progress from what it was when I was a player, I really believe in this program. It’s pretty awesome to be with a special staff like that.”
What’s your relationship like with the players? What’s it like being around them?
“Oh, they’re great. I think, where we’re at now, they definitely want to push each other, because they’re seeing the vision that we see. That was probably the hardest thing at first is you’re going against the best teams in the nation. You have to come out every day at your best. They’re seeing the results now. Maybe not all of them are a win, but it’s the little wins that are going to add up to a big win. The girls are great. They have a lot of energy and they want to be better. It’s fun working with a group like that.”
Lastly, do you have any thank yous or shout-outs you want to give to people?
“Shout-out to everyone at Penn State. This was my second time being back since I was a player. You see all these familiar faces who come up and just bring you that love right away. There’s nothing like it. To have that kind of support is huge. That’s why there’s a legacy. It’s from all of the fans, the band, the boosters, so from that aspect, it was awesome being back in this gym. Thank you to them for continuing that. And then, obviously, to my past coaches and this program. It’s been awesome. I wouldn’t be where I am now without them.”