“It’s important to know what’s important to you.”
Alexa Keckler, the head coach of volleyball at Lehigh University, sits down with us in this episode of the 35,000 feet podcast going over how the past season for her team went, the start of her career as a volleyball coach, some memorable travel experiences, and her advice to future collegiate athletes.
In this episode, we discuss:
How this past season went for Lehigh University Volleyball team (0:20)
How Coach Keckler got into coaching (3:35)
Alexa’s favorite travel experience (8:04)
One thing that no one knows about Alexa (12:27)
Alexa’s advice to athletes wanting to play in college (15:00)
Alexa’s next adventure (17:03)
The Past Season for Lehigh University Volleyball
Morgan: Hi guys. Welcome back. It's Morgan, today I'm sitting down with coach Alexa. Thanks so much for joining us.
Alexa: Oh, you're welcome. I'm so excited to be here.
Morgan: Yes. And we're excited to have you and hear about your adventures in your life and just see an insight into your team also. So I guess to start the podcast, I wanted to ask you, if you could tell us about the highs and lows of your season.
Alexa: Sure. So this past season we had what I would consider to be a pretty up and down year. We, in 2018, had a very successful season to start and we were at 11-0 and 12-0 to start the season and we got into league play and it became a lot more competitive. So one of the things that our team had talked about after that is we really wanted to challenge ourselves this past season and try to play some of the best teams in the country. So we put together a pretty intense high caliber schedule this past year, and which, I think ultimately helped us grow as a team and as individuals. But it was certainly challenging from a win-loss standpoint because we were competing in some cases, but we weren't getting the result.
We weren't getting the wins. And so we struggled a little bit with making some changes and trying to get some strong leadership to emerge from the group. And so ultimately, there's a lot of parody in the Patriot League, or at least there was this past year. So certainly a lot of competition. And we worked really hard to stay in the mix and to compete at each match that we contended with. I think ultimately the first few weeks we got a lot better, but we didn't have the wins in the win column when you're looking at the ultimate win-loss result, because we were playing with a lot of really strong teams. So from that standpoint it was fun because we were putting ourselves in a position to compete at the highest level.
We might not have been getting the victories, but we were getting some great experience. And then as we went into league play, I really thought it helped us in preparing to play at a higher level and compete within the Patriot League. So I think that was a really good takeaway from having a more challenging schedule versus maybe an easier schedule that doesn't push us out of our comfort zone until we're in deep in the league play.
Morgan: Wow! Well, I think it shows that you guys would rather work hard. You know, you want to work hard, you want to be challenged. I think that's awesome.
Alexa: Yeah. I mean, it's always tough when you're putting a schedule together because you want to be able to experience success so that you know what that feels like, but you want to earn it too. And you know, for us this past year, there was definitely some tweaking that we did with our lineups and trying to put the best six players on the court at all times. But I do think that we would much rather have a season where we're competing against the toughest teams possible and really challenging ourselves than potentially an easier schedule where we're not having to work as hard to win and we're not having to get out of our comfort zone.
Morgan: Yeah. Well, I have respect for that. Because I think it's those little things that help teams, like those little choices that help teams grow, those challenges. So-
Alexa: Absolutely.
The Beginning of Coach Alexa Keckler’s Career
Morgan: Yeah. I love that. Well, how did you get to be a coach?
Alexa: Oh my! That's a big question. So I was a daughter of a coach. I grew up in a coaching household. My dad is retired now, but he was a pretty well-known high school basketball coach in the state of Maryland. He coached many years of, of being in the gym and watching that. And I didn't go to college to be a coach. I actually really just enjoyed the kind of human performance side of things, sports performance side of things. And that's kind of where I started my journey and got involved in campus recreation and kind of miss the volleyball world. So I started coaching club in high school and it was actually set to be the assistant volleyball women's volleyball coach at Gettysburg. I was working there as the director of campus recreation and had the opportunity to be an assistant by the end of spring the head coach actually took another job.
And so they named and I was so blessed with such an amazing opportunity to come in and be a head coach at Gettysburg and was afforded so many luxuries there. And I loved it. I loved every minute of it. It wasn't and still isn't a job for me. It's something I love and enjoy to do so. So I always remember my mom saying, " don't marry a coach, you don't want to be a coach". You know, it's a life, it's a lifestyle. They're always in the gym. And I did both.
I became a coach and I married a coach. So we have, we have a lot of gymming time, recruiting conversations, but then after I spent some time at Gettysburg and then my husband was also the assistant men's basketball coach there. And he took a job in Jersey at Drew University is the head men's basketball coach there. And so after a few years at Gettysburg, we relocated so that he could take a head job. And I was fortunate enough to be hired at Muhlenberg College where I spent the next step in my career and was there from 2010 until 2000... And I guess it was 18 and then came over to Lehigh in February of 18. And here I am.
Morgan: Wow! I think that's an awesome story. I love hearing where coaches come from, what their story is. So I think that's funny that, you didn't always plan on it, but you just loved it so much that you kept doing it.
Alexa: Yeah. I mean, it was definitely something that I didn't set my sights on that going into college. I love being around sports. I knew that was part of it. But honestly, when I graduated college, I was pretty burnt out of playing, but it wasn't long, two years later and I was itching to get back to gym. I missed it. I loved it. And then that's kind of when I started on the club and high school scene and spent time doing that, I was still in the gym. So I was still around the sports, but coaching and teaching and mentoring is just such an amazing and rewarding opportunity that I think I just really missed that aspect of it. And getting back into it was just felt natural.
Morgan: Well, I'm glad that you were able to do that and get back to that. And that's so fun that you grew up in Maryland.
Alexa: Yeah.
I grew up in Maryland and then when to went to school in Nashville, Tennessee, which is where my husband's from. So a lot of all over the place
Morgan: All over the place. Yeah. That's so cool. I used to live in Maryland and it's humid.
Alexa: Really you think so. Huh?
Morgan: I think so humid compared to..., Because now I'm in Utah, so compared to Utah it's humid.
Alexa: Yeah. I could see that. I get to that. And then I look at Maryland is such a different place from like humidity standpoint. Because I went to school in Nashville and that's where my husband's from. So if you go to Nashville, it's even a completely different feel of humidity.
Morgan: Oh my goodness. Yes. I know they're so different, but that's fun that you've lived in so many different places.
Alexa: Yeah. It's been a blessing to be able to do that. And certainly, it's helped me to grow as a person and make connections and meet amazing people along the way.
Coach Alexa Keckler’s Favorite Travel Experience
Morgan: Oh, that was awesome. Wow. Well, I guess I just wanted to ask you, what's one of your most memorable travel experiences? Alexa.
Alexa: So I don't know if I'm a real worldly travel traveler. I've actually never been out of the country. I've never been to Europe or anything like that. Growing up, we were a big Disney family and actually kind of feel like I've passed that on to our kids. We usually try to go every two to three years and just something that we enjoy, spending time together and just kind of being a kid again, it's something that I think is super exciting and our kids like it. And that was always just very special memories for me growing up was knowing that every two to three years, our whole family, my sisters, their husbands, their kids, we would always go and be together, laugh and enjoy the shows and the parades. And that was just something that was really exciting for me. And I think my husband and I enjoy doing that with our kids and kind of pass that along.
Morgan: Oh, well I think that's awesome. I think any trip you take is rewarding because you get to grow closer to your family when you're there, you get to have fun experiences together. So I'm glad you guys can do that.
Alexa: Yeah. That's extremely fun. The last trip that we took there, both my parents and my husband's parents got to attend. So it was just great to have them be there with our children and get to spend time with them in an environment that they love and show them, whether it was the princesses or the superheroes, just to kind of be a kid at heart. And, and to be able to let loose was really just awesome. And I'm so appreciative for that time and to be able to do that.
Morgan: That's so fun. And how old are your kids?
Alexa: So my husband and I have four kids, my oldest is 14. She is an eighth-grader and her name's Olivia. And then Cameron, she is 10, she's a fifth-grader and both of them are playing club, which is fun to see them play a sport that I love. And then we have twins, seven-year-old twins, Mallory and Maddix. And so it's one boy and three girls. So my husband at least gets a little dude to rough up and shoot hoops with and hang out with. But yeah, so 14, 10, and seven.
Morgan: Wow. Oh, that is so fun. So fun. I bet being a coach and having kids, I bet that's an experience.
Alexa: It really is honestly. I mean it's extremely busy. It is non-stop chaos. And my husband is also a college basketball coach. We pretty much have like one month out of the year where neither him nor I are either allowed to be out or there's not enough going on to be out. And that's May, other than that, one of us is either in recruiting season, in season. And then obviously in the summer, we're doing camps, but it's pretty cool to have the role models, both on my team and my husband's team to be around and for our kids to be able to see what it's like to work hard, how that pays off, whether they're on the bench or not, or they're on the court. We have conversations about that all the time. So it's cool to see them in that environment. And then, to be able to teach them the game that we love.
Morgan: Well, it's so true. Your kids are learning from your athletes too. Wow.
Alexa: Yeah. I have a lot of babysitters. It's amazing.
Morgan: I know. Okay. That's awesome. That's true. You have like a whole bunch of them.
Alexa: Yeah. It's crazy. I mean, usually, I get to use a lot of the seniors out of..., Once we're finished with the season, the seniors are usually on speed dial because it's just a lot easier and they're looking for something to do. So it's extremely helpful to have them.
Morgan: I have actually babysat my coach's kids before, too. So that's-
Alexa: Yeah. It's like, you want someone you trust and respect around your kids, someone who will treat them right. And love them. And then what better than the people that you're with every day.
Something Noone Knows About Coach Alexa Keckler
Morgan: That is true. You know, you can trust them, so that's awesome. Well, perfect. This next question I have for you is a little bit harder, but what's one thing that no one knows about you that you can share with us?
Alexa: Oh, geez. That no one knows. Well, I guess probably, maybe only the people closest to me might know this, but I'm, I kind of feel like I'm an open book. So if I had a second career, I would, I love to be an interior decorator. I love working with power tools. They are so fun. I like, I'm a big Pinterest person, I like creating things and decorating and painting, and I enjoy refinishing furniture and I don't have a lot of time for that. And being a division one volleyball coach, but in certain times of the year, I am afforded a little bit and I love that. I love hanging chair rail and beat board and creating, different layouts in rooms. And so I find that to be relaxing and really fun. That is probably one thing that unless you're immediate family would probably not know about me.
Morgan: Okay. Well thank you for sharing. That's actually a really cool hobby to have.
Alexa: Yeah. It's enjoyable. I love being artistic and creative in ways like that. And painting is super fun. I find it to be very therapeutic. So anything that's like a project where I can go from a beginning to an end and create something I think is really fun.
Coach Alexa Keckler’s Advice to Athletes at University
Morgan: Oh, I think that's awesome. I think I can feel and tell you have a passion for art and being a coach. I think it's cool that you have such a variety of talents and hobbies. So the question I have for you next is if you're an athlete wanting to play for a team or university, what would your advice be?
Alexa: Yeah, I think that could be a pretty loaded question, but I think ultimately as an athlete seeking to play at the collegiate level, I think it's really important to determine what your non-negotiables are. What is it that you truly want to experience or be a part of during your four years in a program, whether it be a location, whether it would be the academics, whether it would be the size, just kind of determining whether you want to program who is a family, or you want to program who wins, where you want to program, who gets to travel all over. You know, I think it's just really important that, you know what's extremely important to you, what you value and what you want to experience during your four years, and then to not part ways from that during your search.
I think it's so easy to go on a visit and be wowed by something. I don't want to say superficial, but you know, maybe there's a Starbucks on campus or maybe there's an offsite eating place on campus. And you're like, wow. But in fact you could get this every day and all of a sudden that triumphs what's more important to you. And so kind of being true to what it is that you're looking for. And then honestly, I would just say market yourself as much as you can, to those places that you have found to be a fit for you, within your criteria and make yourself known and show the college coaches, where you were, what you've done to improve, where you are now, what you're continuing to work on and communicate, and be honest, I think more than anything, you want to know as an athlete when you get to that college, that you know, what the expectations are.
So I would really encourage athletes to ask that question when you're on a visit or when you're pursuing that school that you think is the right fit. Like, what are your expectations of me when I get here? Because so many times you see the transfer portal increasing and a lot of that's because maybe that question wasn't asked or it's different than what you thought it was. And so I think the expectation of what is expected of me when I get there, whether that's playing time, workout, commitment, level, academic standards, what is it that I'm going to have to do when I get there so that I can be the best me that I can be? And if those expectations don't meet what you're looking for, then, you know, ultimately it's not going to be the right fit and you're going to be looking for another place to go.
Morgan: Yeah. I love that. Asking for expectations and having an idea, I think that's great advice. So thanks. And then I guess what's your next adventure?
Alexa: Well, probably right now, it would be just to make it through these next few months and look at ways to prepare for the fall, keeping our kids engaged and keeping them..., We've done a great job over the past few months really kind of revitalizing the culture that I want and that we want at Lehigh and trying to stay on task with that and stay connected and continue to push the values that we have in our program and trying to do the right thing when challenged. And that's not always easy. So I think for us, it's preparing, it's working hard, it's connecting, it's realizing that there's a lot of change and unknowns around us and you know, how do we have the perspective to stay positive?
How do we make the most of the opportunities that are given to us and how do we prepare to step back on the court in the fall and be a better unit, a better teammate and a better person?
Morgan: Oh, well, that was very well said. So thank you so much. Seriously. It's been sort of blast, like getting an insight into your team and seeing your views of how you came to be a coach and how you handle the things of being a mom and a coat. So thank you so much for joining us.
Alexa: Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so very much for having me. This was such an honor, and I really appreciate the opportunity to chat with you.
Morgan: Well, thank you so much, Alexa, and good luck with your season. I'll follow your team and I'm keeping an eye on you guys.
Lehigh University Volleyball
Podcast made in partnership with Acanela Expeditions
Theme Song - I’ll Just Be Me by Gravity Castle