Big Bend Community College hires volleyball coach

MOSES LAKE - Twenty-three year old Natalie Coulston has accepted the position of head volleyball coach at Big Bend Community College (BBCC). Coulston (formerly known as Natalie Lindley) was a two-sport athlete at BBCC from 2007-09, and was named to the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges All-Academic teams in volleyball and basketball her sophomore year.

"I'm very excited to be the new volleyball coach at Big Bend," Coulston said. "I've followed the volleyball program since I left and have seen the team play when they traveled to Spokane the last couple of years. I still know a lot of people .... kids on campus ... its' good to be back."

Coulston just graduated from Eastern Washington University (EWU) this spring and was hired June 15 to take over the helm of the Viking program.

"We are pleased to hire Natalie as our new head volleyball coach," BBCC Athletic Director Preston Wilks said. "She brings a high level of enthusiasm and is very eager to make a positive impact on the program.  She has great knowledge of the game having played college volleyball, was a natural leader on the court, and excelled at teaching and encouraging teammates while she played."

Coulston was hired to replace outgoing coach Mike DeHoog.

"We made the change because we wanted the program to move in a different direction," Wilks said. "Mike is still at BBCC teaching on a full-time basis."

Coulston majored in General Business while attending EWU, but knew she would some day join the coaching ranks at the collegiate level. However, she didn't think it would happen so quickly.

"I was a bit surprised I was hired right out of college, but coaching does run in our family she said. "My grandparents were coaches, my parents coached and so did my two sisters, so I think I am up to the challenge."

Coulston does have her work cut out for her as the team finished 1-13 in league play, and 8-25 overall in 2011. But her coaching philosophy and work ethic as a player appears to have her on the right track and in the right frame of mind to reverse the teams fortunes the past couple of seasons.

"I believe in having fundamentally sound players so we'll be getting back to the basics on the court and build the program up from there," Coulston said. "We'll also focus on getting the girls academically sound as well, and get them involved in the community and hopefully mold them into contributing members of society."

Her first couple of hurdles to overcome are  recruiting enough players to field a team, evaluating talent, and draw that fine line between being a coach and a pal for her players to hang out with as she's only a couple of years older than most who'll turnout.

"We only have six players committed to the team so far ... three of which are returning from last season ... so it hard to judge what our strengths and weaknesses are right now. I am in the midst of recruiting at this point and should know where we stand by the end of the month or early August," Coulston said. "As far as my relationship with the team, I do think its important to separate myself from the players and not become their buddy. I'll be there for them, but just want to be their coach and not their best friend."

The three returning players are Katie Demarest, Kayla Curtsinger and Kately Riste, a redshirt freshman who tore her ACL last year.

The challenges Coulston faces are daunting to say the least for a young  first year coach, but Wilks said he's confident BBCC hired the right person for the job.

"Natalie excelled in two sports at Big Bend and even played on the softball team her sophomore year. No other athlete has played three sports at the college in the time I have been here as the AD," he said. "We look for her teams to be well-coached and to excel in the fundamentals of the game. I know Natalie is a competitor having coached her for two years in basketball, I believe her team will reflect her competitive drive."