By John Rittenhouse
A near-deadline interview turned into a success for the Hills-Beaver Creek School District as it found a new volleyball coach five days before practice began Aug. 12.
The hunt for a mentor reached a crisis point the week before the official start of practice, because no replacement for former coach Nicole Fey had been found.
School official Steve Wiertzema said he did have a few interviews lined up for Aug. 8, and H-BC found an Iowa man willing to take the post.
When the dust settled, Curt Doorneweerd, who grew up between Larchwood, Iowa, and Hills, was tabbed H-BC's new coach.
A 1997 graduate of West Lyon High School, Doorneweerd will assume his first coaching position at the high school level.
Doorneweerd attended Iowa Lakes Community College, Estherville, Iowa, for two years, and in 1999 enrolled at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, graduating in 2001. He also obtained a coaching license during his college years in Iowa.
The Patriot coach, who will not teach at H-BC, is in the process of buying a house in nearby Lester, Iowa, where he works as a plumber with Lester business, DRG Mechanical.
Although Doorneweerd does not have varsity coaching experience, he loves the game of volleyball. He plays in a number of winter and summer leagues throughout the area. When he found out there was a coaching vacancy in Hills, Doorneweerd decided to throw his hat in the ring.
"I know a lot of people from Hills, and I knew they were looking for a coach early this summer. When I heard they had not found a coach a couple of weeks ago, I decided to give it a shot," he said.
Doorneweerd takes over a program that had a couple of good seasons for Fey, who compiled a 26-24 two-year record. The Patriots went 14-10 during FeyÕs first year in 2000, and 12-14 last season.
Competing in the Red Rock Conference for the first time last year, H-BC went 6-5 while earning a share of fifth place. The Patriots notched a 3-1 win over Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster during the quarterfinal round of last year's South Section 3A Tournament before being eliminated by eventual champion Southwest Christian in the semifinals.
H-BC lost four important members of the 2001 team to graduation.
Tonya Leenderts and LaDonna Sandstede, a pair of seniors who rarely left the floor, leave big shoes to be filled. Leenderts made the All-RRC team as a hitter. Sandstede drew honorable mention as a setter.
Jana Hup and Brittney Olson also drew starting assignments for Fey during their senior seasons.
The good thing about being a new coach for an unfamiliar program is Doorneweerd doesn't know what kind of talent he lost from the previous year.
The changing of the guard leaves everyone with a clean slate, and the players have a chance to earn playing time by impressing Doorneweerd.
"It's just like starting over," he said. "I think it's a good opportunity for the girls to prove themselves to a new coaching staff, and the players are all new to me, too. I'm looking forward to the challenge. From what I've seen, I think we should fare very well this fall."
The new coach hadn't determined which positions the players will man prior to this interview. The Patriots were focusing on the fundamentals during the first week of practice, and Doorneweerd said the plan is to put players in positions they can handle as the pre-season moves along.
The Patriots have impressed the coach with their work ethic in practice, and that only can help everyone involved in the long run.
"They are a good group to work with," Doorneweerd said. "They are working really hard in practice. They did get a wake-up call with some of the tough practices we are having, but they are trying their best on the floor."
H-BC will open the season with a 10-player roster featuring five seniors and five juniors. Some sophomores and freshmen could be added to the list as the season progresses.
The roster features a standout player in 6-1 junior Erin Boeve. Boeve emerged as one of the area's top hitters as a sophomore, leading the Patriots in kills and earning a spot on the All-RRC team.
H-BC's five seniors will be expected to provide leadership to the team on and off the floor.
Jody Rentschler and Angie Sjaarda are 5-8 seniors, Melissa Fagerness and Angie Bush are 5-7 seniors, and Sarah Roozeboom is a 5-6 senior.
Rounding out the roster are juniors Amanda Olson (5-9), Alissa Hoyme (5-8) and Jessi Wassenaar (5-7).
The Patriots opened the season by hosting Fulda Tuesday.