Chelsie Speer, highly successful volleyball head coach at Mt. Hood, has taken the same position at Walla Walla Community College.
The announcement last week was big news in the athletic community here as the Saints have shined brightly under her reign, often dominating their league competitors.
In five years as head coach, Speer’s overall record at MHCC was 175-43, which included a 2011 NWAACC championship, five straight South region titles and four South region coach-of-the-year awards. The Saints twice finished second in the NWAACC playoffs, and in fourth place once.
Mt. Hood will conduct a national search to replace Speer. She assumes a full-time faculty position at Walla Walla, an opportunity too good to pass up despite mixed emotions about departing.
“I have learned the value of creating a ‘second family’ while being here at Mt. Hood. This is the hardest part about leaving,” said Speer.
She also served as assistant softball coach at MHCC the past three years, including a third-straight NWAACC championship in 2011.
“The other programs and coaches have become my second family. This environment has been created in my own personal program as well,” she said.
Speer has a deep connection to MHCC, attending school and playing volleyball and softball back in the early 2000s.
“I have so much pride in Mt. Hood. I have loved this place since the day I came on my recruiting visit in June of 2001,” she said. “I will miss all of the relationships that I have built with employees and faculty members who once taught me and now who mentor me in my professional career.”
Kim Hyatt, Mt. Hood athletic director, said Speer will be missed after “continuing the great legacy of volleyball at MHCC” and putting a positive stamp on the entire athletic program.
Meadow McWhorter, Mt. Hood softball head coach who first coached Speer in softball in 2002-2003, said she knew her player was destined to coach.
“I’ve known Chelsie for 12 years. She displayed great qualities and was a student of the game. She led by example,” said McWhorter.
“She genuinely cares about her student athletes. I’m going to miss my best friend. We’re always on the same page and even finish each other’s sentences. I can always go to her for support, advice, and motivation,” McWhorter said.
Speer also said that she would miss her close friend and former coach.
Mt. Hood volleyball players had nothing but positive things to say about playing under her, and the impact she had on them.
“The only reason I transferred to Mt. Hood was to play under Chelsie,” said sophomore Shawna Smith, who played her freshman year at Eastern Oregon University. “The legacy she created as well as her passion for the game, compassion for her players, and the excellence she demanded on and off the court was truly admirable.
“Mt. Hood is losing a phenomenal person and coach, but she will carry her competiveness and love to Walla Walla,” Smith said.
Sophomores Lihau Perreira and Carrie Haguewood said it was a great decision coming to MHCC to play for Speer.
“Coming to Mt. Hood was the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” Perreira said. “She (Chelsie) changed my life for the better and not only taught me how to be a better volleyball player but also to be a better person.”
Said Haguewood: “Chelsie taught me so much not only as a coach, but as a friend, too. I’m sad to see her leave but I know that she will continue to impact other player’s lives the same way she did mine.”
Speer graduated from Pendleton High School in 2001. With Walla Walla being relatively close, her move amounts to a homecoming, she said.
“My family still lives there and they are extremely excited about us, especially now that we have Aiden, our 1-year old son,” said Speer. “Since I had my first child, I have thought quite a bit about wanting him to grow up in a small town. I am excited to be close to my family and our cabin in the Blue Mountains.”
She will inherit a contending team in Walla Walla. This last season, the Warriors finished third in the Eastern region with a record of 26-15 overall, 10-4 in conference play. The team had eight freshmen last season, meaning a wealth of experience on hand for 2014.
“I am excited about what my new team could accomplish this upcoming fall. I am always excited about that,” said Speer.
“I love coaching and I love the challenge of reaching any athlete and helping them become the best that they are capable of becoming. Plus, I am confident in my ability because I work hard at what I do,” she said.
Speer said she will always have love for Mt. Hood and the people here.
“I will miss my team dearly. The returning girls here mean the world to me. My players are like my own children. I care so much about them beyond the court and game of volleyball,” she said.
“I have developed relationships with all of them, sophomores and freshmen, that I hope will last a lifetime. This next season will be hard because of that.”