Team Tampa Bay's Take with Joey Johnston - Leading by Example with Georgia Tech's Michelle Collier
A Conversation with Georgia Tech Volleyball Coach Michelle Collier
By Joey Johnston
As a college volleyball player at USF, Michelle Collier was practically beyond compare — All-American, Conference USA Player of the Decade, fifth all-time in NCAA Division I career kills (2,729), a member of the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
It’s probably not shocking that Collier has found big-time success as Georgia Tech’s head coach. The Yellow Jackets, preparing for the Aug. 25-26 season-opening Road 2 Tampa Bay Volleyball Invitational at downtown Tampa’s Amalie Arena and USF’s Yuengling Center, are bidding for the program’s fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. They were No. 16 nationally last season and made the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight in 2021.
Collier relishes competing against her alma mater, the USF Bulls, and loves being in an elite event field with the Florida Gators and Penn State Nittany Lions.
“I am counting the days until we get to play,’’ said Collier, who is entering her 10th season at Georgia Tech. “We are over-the-top excited about this opportunity and what it means for the program we are building. This is another huge step in the process.’’
Sometimes — in all sports — great players do not become great coaches. Collier, though, has found her niche.
At USF, she studied computer science. Phyllis LaBaw, who oversaw academic advising, called Collier over one day.
“She said, ‘You know, Chelly, I really don’t see you sitting in front of a computer for a very long time,’ ‘’ Collier said with a laugh. “She said, ‘I think you need something more active.’ Boy, was she right about that.
“The leadership of coaching, I think, came naturally to me. I knew I always wanted to be around the game. When I came to USF from Brazil, it opened the doors of the world to me. Sports in general can teach you so much about life. So I didn’t overthink this at all. I transitioned quickly into coaching and I have always felt I’m in the right spot for me. It’s what I was meant to do.’’
Collier’s players agree. Their head coach is a perfect role model.
“You know that she has earned everything she has gotten in this game,’’ said Yellow Jackets middle blocker Liv Mogridge, a transfer from North Carolina. “She’s very direct, very straight-talking, very truthful. At the same time — with all the success she has had as a player and coach — there’s a humbleness to her. And I was so drawn to that.’’
“You know the passion and the love of the game our entire coaching staff has and they always look out for our best interests,’’ Yellow Jackets setter Bella D’Amico said. “Michelle is such a competitor. We all have a sense of how great a player she was and it’s a privilege to be able to learn from somebody like that. Not only in volleyball but in life. She knows what it takes.’’
The transition to coaching might have seemed natural for Collier, but there were adjustments to be made.
With Collier fresh out of her playing career, she had to realize that few of her pupils possessed the skills, instincts and pedigree that made her into an All-American. At times, she needed patience and understanding.
“At the beginning of my coaching career, I had to learn that my players weren’t me — they weren’t driven or wound in the same way,’’ Collier said. “So you find other ways to connect with them. You mature as a coach and you learn how to give everybody their own space, so they can grow and learn from their mistakes.
“The bottom line as a coach is trying to put together the best group of people you can. There are so many intangibles you have to manage. There’s no handbook for it. But there’s nothing more rewarding than going through some bumps and bruises, then maturing into the best team you can be at the end of the season when you are playing for championships.’’
Championships are now the expectation at Georgia Tech.
“We’ve had a big upsurge as a program and now we come into this season with a good mix of experience, leadership and young talent,’’ Collier said. “I think getting to Tampa to start our season against that level of competition will tell us a lot. It’s a challenge to keep building on the foundation that has been established, but we’re ready to jump back into the fire. Every season is just a reaffirmation of what this game means to me. I love it!’’
Leading By Example Columns
Joey Johnston's Coaches Spotlight
Georgia Tech's Michelle Collier