Coach Mike Lozier helps grow volleyball with winning ways and camps

Marquette, Mich. – Connor Sturgill sits down with reigning GLIAC Coach of the Year and NMU Volleyball head coach Mike Lozier to talk about the upcoming camps, the growth of volleyball, recruiting and his excitement towards getting back to coaching the sport.

Connor Sturgill: Coach what about these camps make them so important?

Coach Lozier: One thing that Marquette and the Upper Peninsula don’t have a really strong grasp on is the AAU scene in volleyball. So basketball I think they are pretty but volleyball, there are just is not a lot of opportunities for younger athletes to be exposed to higher level volleyball. We are able to do that for a couple of days at a time, and it can have a lasting impact on those kids.

Connor Sturgill: Now these camps also help you bring in those future Wildcats to help keep the winning tradition at Northern. How has this past season helped you look for the right recruits?

Coach Lozier: I was talking to our team through text earlier today about this but our biggest strength was how we came together as a team throughout this year. How we came together as team throughout this year, how they believed in each other, they listened to each other. When they brought it in [the huddle] between points they were making eye contact, they were acknowledging the person that was talking. It seems so simple and so small but those are the differences between winning a set 25-23 and losing 25-23. If anything what this last season taught me is when we are recruiting those are things we need to be hyper aware during the recruiting process.

Connor Sturgill: This is a pretty exciting for you too coach…what do you look forward to the most when these camps start up?

Coach Lozier: The excitement of the gym because these [camps] are always happening in the summer. So it’s coming after a lull of no volleyball for 3-4 months. I was just joking with our assistant coach that I feel like every camp season, a week before, I have this moment of panic where I worry that I forgot how to coach. Cause since I hadn’t done it in so long! So that first hour is like, okay just speak with confidence you’ll be okay…and I’m talking to a seven-year old girl trying to explain to her how to serve the ball. I have to psyche myself up like “Okay you got this!” and you go over, and then it’s like riding a bike.