Written by Kayla McCloud
Troy Campbell found his love for volleyball as a player at Westville High School where he played in state championships in 1991 and 1992 while being recognized as one of the top 50 players in the nation, according to Volleyball Magazine. Campbell began his coaching career at Westville in 1995 serving as the varsity coach for the boys and girls teams. Campbell continued to coach at the high school level for many years, working at schools in Indiana and Michigan. In addition to coaching high school, Campbell became a prominent coach for the Dunes Volleyball Club, where he coached multiple teams to make AAU and USA national appearances.
Campbell knew he wanted to be a coach after he first started coaching at the high school level. Initially, he was coaching in order to make some extra money while still being able to be around his favorite sport, but eventually developed a deep passion for it. Now, coaching is about much more than the money.
According to Campbell, “it’s about helping young people find success in volleyball, but also to be a mentor to them”. Becoming a coach wasn’t an easy task initially, as he spent the first bit of his coaching career developing his own style. He spent quite some time gathering information, seeing what drills worked and what drills didn’t work, what strategies to use, and what to say and do in order to get the most out of every player. Campbell prioritizes his players and describes how “the players and their well-being is at the top of the list” and that even though he strives to create great volleyball players, he hopes the lessons he gives his players lives on in them, past their time on the court. As a coach, Campbell hopes that he is one day known as someone who was respected and cared for by his players. Someone who was able to influence his players in a positive way so that they can make a difference in other people’s lives as well.
Campbell made his way to Concordia University Chicago in 2014 with just about 19 years of coaching experience under his belt. He coached many teams to state championships as well as being named “Coach of the Year” multiple times. During his time at CUC, Campbell has led the women’s volleyball program to success. His first season with the CUC Cougars proved to be a rebuilding year as they went 5-24 on the season. A few short years later, in 2017, the program saw its best season since 2008, with a record of 18-15. Just a year later, Campbell coached the Cougars to clinch a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2009. Campbell hopes to continue to build and find success in the program in the years to come.
Campbell notes that his favorite coaching season was in 2006 due to his connection with both his club and the high school team. “We had great success in both. We were top 10 in the country in club and won an Indiana State Championship when we were not supposed to at all. Just an incredible year of success on and off the court,” said Campbell.
