Middlesex College has appointed Myia Williams as coach of the new men’s volleyball program, which is set to begin in Spring 2022.
The college was among 15 two-year institutions chosen for a $10,000 grant by the NJCAA Foundation and First Point Volleyball Foundation to start a new men’s volleyball program, according to information provided by Middlesex.
Williams holds a Bachelor of Science in communication from Mitchell College and is a professional graphic designer.
She served as head volleyball coach for Immaculate Conception High School in Montclair.
In addition to her professional coaching experience, Williams brings to her new role the perspective of someone who has played competitively at the collegiate level, as she played on the women’s volleyball team throughout her four years at Mitchell College, an NCAA Division III school.
Her love for volleyball can be traced back to her middle school where she was introduced to the sport, according to the statement.
“I picked up my first volleyball around seventh grade and haven’t put it down since,” she said in the statement.
She credits her college major – communications – for playing an important part in her approach to coaching and team building.
“Communication is key if you want to have great chemistry with your team on and off the court,” Williams said in the statement, adding, “If you can’t have a conversation with someone then it’s going to be hard to have a conversation on the court.”
As she steps into her new position and prepares to put a team together, she says she is eager to work with students who are passionate about the sport.
“That’s my biggest thing. Come ready to play, come ready to learn,” she said in the statement. “We’re going to have some ups and downs, but that’s not going to defeat us. I like to tell my students that we didn’t take a loss yesterday, we took a lesson. When we take a lesson, we learn something from it and come back better that what we were.”