Head coach Jeff Nelson hit a major milestone in his 21st season coaching collegiate volleyball, garnering win No. 400 in a 3-0 sweep against the Broncos on Friday night.
Nelson has made his presence felt throughout his 20-plus years as a head volleyball coach.
In his ninth season as head coach for New Mexico, Nelson has put up an impressive 159-89 record during his tenure.
“It’s great anytime you can put out a great product, and I think Lobo Volleyball is a great product,” Nelson said. “I think when you put out a great product, the community appreciates it.”
While Nelson was able to celebrate on Friday, he has also put in many more hours outside of the college realm. UNM’s head coach was able to guide Albuquerque locals Cassie House, Julia Warren and Devanne Sours through club volleyball and into his program.
“Jeff’s like a second dad to me ... he’s been with me through high school and everything,” Warren said. “It makes me excited after watching him help all of his players, me being one of them. It’s really special for him, and the team thinks it’s really special.”
Warren said little has changed from her high school days to the collegiate level. His expectations of her have grown throughout the years, but Warren said that was to be expected as she matured.
Sours said her experience with Nelson has been wonderful. Another product from the club level, Sours has matured into a force to be reckoned with on the outside.
Both Warren and Sours made a trip to Europe with their longtime head coach as members of the Mountain West All-Stars, which is yet another team the three have been part of together.
“It’s really cool to be able to experience (win 400) with him and get to celebrate with him,” Sours said. “He’s really happy, and it’s really cool to be here.”
Although redshirt senior setter Hannah Johnson was not a rooted local in Nelson’s program, she recently entered her fifth season playing for him. Johnson said she commends Nelson for all he has done for her at a personal level.
“It’s nice to celebrate him because he has done so much for me,” Johnson said. “I’m glad we could get the win while I was under him, at home.”
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
It doesn’t take long for Nelson to reach his players on a deeper level.
Senior transfer Simone Henderson said she had made an excellent decision in coming to New Mexico because of what Nelson has been able to do for her.
Both Johnson and Henderson said Nelson has been able to help them become better players all around. They are not limited to a particular style of play based on their given positions; he expects the girls be able to make use of their diverse strengths at all times.
As well, in just her second season under Nelson, Henderson said it didn’t take the coach long to have an impact on her life outside of the sport.
“He’s taught me about things about life, like things after volleyball,” Henderson said. “He’s a great coach and I’m really glad that I’m here.”
While spectators and fans are able to witness the passion Nelson feels for volleyball, Warren said that is just one side people are able to view.
“Jeff’s just one of the funniest human beings I’ve ever met,” Warren said. “His sassiness and his jokes, I just love it. He brings a different fire to practice and on road trips.”
Nelson has made it a point of emphasis to find the best local talent in New Mexico and lead them into his program. Johnson said it is much more than being able to find kids that will produce a winning product at UNM.
“He has a really big heart and he tries to get all of New Mexico involved,” Johnson said. “I think he wants to bring out as many girls to come out and love volleyball because he loves it so much.”
Nelson is always reaching out to the thousands of girls in the community to follow and fall in love with his favorite sport, according to Johnson. Nelson said he has built a great fan base upon the foundation that his squad will always fight and will never concede, no matter the circumstance.
“One thing we’ve talked about for years is the fans here will come whether we win or lose if we fight for them,” Nelson said. “That’s one of our goals the whole nine years that I’ve been here: We want people to leave here feeling like we’ve fought for them.”
Liam Cary-Eaves is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at assistantsports@dailylobo.com or on twitter @Liam_CE.
