Edon, Ohio, is not known for its volleyball prowess. Yet the town with a population of 898 has produced a man who is quickly climbing though the Division I coaching ranks.
For Saint Louis University assistant volleyball coach Kyle Walton, opportunities to play volleyball as a boy were virtually nonexistent. With no organized teams for boys, the only way this future coach could play was with his sister.
Walton’s first attempt at coaching came at an early age, as his father has coached the Edon High School girl’s team for the past 24 years.
“My dad got me started,” Walton said. “I would go to volleyball practice when I was in sixth grade and call ‘serve’ and ‘form’ from the bench.”
Even while fostering an aptitude for coaching volleyball, Walton continued to pursue other sports, playing both baseball and basketball throughout his life. He starred for both teams at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio.
But it was his upbringing in volleyball that would give him his career. During his sophomore year at Otterbein, Walton began as a volunteer assistant coach for the women’s volleyball team, which competed in NCAA Division III.
“When I discovered that his passion was in volleyball and learned a little bit of his background in the sport, it was pretty much a ‘no-brainer’ to add him to my staff,” said Sharon Sexton, former head volleyball coach at Otterbein and current associate director of athletics at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. “Kyle is extremely knowledgeable in all facets of the game and was very adept in his ability to communicate that to his peers.
“It was obvious from the beginning that with his passion and dedication to the game he had the potential to be a great coach at any level.”
Upon graduation in 2005, Walton worked at a gym and volleyball clinic in Toledo, Ohio, managing the courts, coaching and developing young volleyball players. While there, he met SLU’s head volleyball coach, Anne Kordes.
“Anne has been my mentor through all my coaching,” Walton said. “It has been a dream getting a chance to work with her.”
Kordes helped Walton score jobs with Southern Indiana University-Evansville and the University of Southern Illinois-Carbondale, working as an assistant coach primarily with middle blockers and right-side hitters.
When former SLU assistant coach Dex Schroeder left to be the head coach at Samford University in Alabama, Kordes contacted Walton again and offered him a job.
“The girls [on the team] made it a really easy transition,” Walton said. “Everybody always thinks that their team is so close and great, but these girls [at SLU] take the cake. They are unbelievable, so helpful, so nice and help me understand what this program is about.”
As for his expectations for the team, Walton believes the team is capable of great things this season.
“Our goals are to win [the Atlantic 10] Conference, get to the NCAA tourney and, eventually, grab a top 25 ranking.”
