The freshman (bottom left), sophomore (top left), junior (bottom right) and senior (top right) Lehigh volleyball classes stand practice Nov. 1. The team has had to rely on its younger players this seasons after nine players have quite over its past two seasons. (Ian Smith/B&W Staff)
Adversity is something the Lehigh volleyball team has grown accustomed to.
“Since I’ve been here over two years, we have had nine conversations of girls quitting,” junior Hannah Chalk said.
Of those nine girls, four of them were in what is the now the two-person senior class on the team. Last year, the team had five seniors that filled the void, making the absence of the missing players less noticeable, but now that those players graduated, the lack of depth on the team has become an issue.
“We’re having to call on our sophomores and our freshman to be major players,” coach Bob Bertucci said. “They are very talented players and I think they are going to be really good but it would have been nice to bring them along a little slower.”
The key difference between freshmen and sophomores playing instead of juniors and seniors is experience. Athletes are recruited to programs because their coaches believe they could have an impact on the team, but when is a key factor.
For the team this year, when is now.
It has 14 players on the roster compared to the 18-22 player rosters of most other volleyball teams across the nation. The lack in bodies, not talent, has forced everyone to accept and embrace playing time.
For less experienced players, this transition can be difficult mentally and physically. Consequently, Bertucci said he has adjusted his style of coaching and communication to make the expectations of the underclassmen easier to adjust to.
“We have to do a lot more teaching. We have to be a lot more patient,” Bertucci said. “It’s just gonna take us some time.”
Chalk said while the underclassmen have been asked to step up as players, the younger members of the team have also had to step up as leaders and supporters. By staying in-tune with the underclassmen and what they are struggling with in regards to school and volleyball, it allows the more experienced players to help them. The size of the team, Chalk said, is something that makes it easier to stay close to everyone.
The growth as players and as people is something that athletic director Joe Sterrett said he thinks is an essential pillar in the Lehigh athletics department.
“This is not a sports factory,” Sterrett said. “We don’t hire anybody where all they want to do is win.”
He said this is why the attrition rate of players on the volleyball team does not worry him. Sterrett has a close relationship with Bertucci and works with him continually to adjust his coaching and recruiting for his team.
“At the heart of it is always about effective communication,” Sterrett said.
Bertucci has become more self-aware of how he approaches his players this season.
“I’ve learned if I’m not communicating about their life outside of volleyball, they only see me as ‘All I care about is volleyball,’” Bertucci said. “That’s just inherent with my personality and I’m aware of that. So I try to change my approach and I try to step out of what is comfortable for me and have those conversations with players as much as I can and hope we do connect a little bit better.”
This change could be part of the reason that he feels the team is performing so well. The team stands at 7-6 in conference play with three games remaining. Bertucci said he’s proud of the team, which is the most successful young team that he’s ever coached.
Chalk agreed while the team may be low in numbers and not playing their usual positions, the commitment level and team chemistry on the court is better than in the past.
“But there’s a difference between competing and beating them in games and winning matches,” Bertucci said.
That is where the experience of the team will make a difference. In time.
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25 Comments
How is 9 players quitting not worrisome? How is a lot of those players ending up being treated for anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses not worrisome? And how is 7-6 “performing well” when they’re having the worst season they’ve had in years? This is a problem not only with the volleyball coaching staff, but with the athletics administration as a whole. Nothing is being done to fix this problem. It’s disgraceful to ignore the fact that so many girls have left the team for the sole reason that the coaching staff exploited them mentally and emotionally.
It is absolutely worrisome that 9 girls have quit the team in recent years. This article fails to talk about why they quit, and based on the previous comment, it seems like the whole story isn’t being shared. I’m glad to hear that Joe Sterret and Bob Bertucci have a great relationship, but I don’t think that is what is important for the future of this program. What about the relationships between players and the athletic administration? Have they worked together to get to the bottom of these issues? It is evident that they have not. It is clear that certain issues were not taken care of after 2 or 3 girls quit, considering the pattern of quitting continued and has reached to a current status of 9. Who’s to say more girls don’t feel the desire, or even necessity, to quit?
Interesting that this article addresses the fact that 9 girls have quit during Coach Bertucci’s 5 years at Lehigh, but never discusses why they quit. This article is a complete coverup of the emotional and mental abuse of Coach Bertucci on his players. Bertucci and Sterrett have done nothing to better this environment for the athletes and have bullied the former players into keeping their mouths shut.
Here here…….there has been major bullying and blackmailing to keep parents and players from talking and telling the truth. I hope the whole truth gets out there and those that have been impacted get a fair chance to speak the truth without fear of repercussion and expose the inherent problems within the volleyball program.
Well I am more than a little disturbed upon reading this article about the volleyball team. I understand this is a young team (because of all the players that have quit) and hats off to the youngsters who are stepping up and into roles as they are needed. However, the issue seems to be the rate of attrition on a team that only has a small number of players in the first place – 9 people quitting in 2 years would raise a red flag to me.
It is disturbing that neither the coach nor the Athletics Director seem to be prepared to admit there may be a deeper problem here. For an AD to say “attrition rate of players on the volleyball team does not worry him” begs the question, why not? I know for a fact that many of the players who have quit have quit for depression, anxiety and other afflictions all created by what seems to be a toxic environment of emotional abuse that nobody wants to admit exists. I also know that MANY players and parents have expressed their discontent and concern for the wellbeing of their children and in the case of the players the wellbeing of themselves to the Athletics department. For that not to be of concern certainly makes me question what the Athletics Department considers acceptable in a case like this.
Not only have all these complaints surfaced and been brought the the attention of the athletics department and people been told they were being taken seriously and the incidents were of “great concern” to the Athletics department but now as a result of the last couple of years of negativity within the program they have had the worst season since Coach Bertucci arrived and certainly did not “perform well” as this article suggests! What exists in the volleyball program today cannot be swept under the rug or denied. There is a fundamental problem within that program that is not being dealt with.
I am disgusted that so many young athletes with such great hopes and aspirations upon entering this program have been emotionally scarred for life and that the administration seemingly does not care enough about these student athletes to make the changes necessary to ensure future student athletes in this program do not succumb to the same fate! This is not one or two people who may have a beef with the coach or the athletics department, we are talking about 9 players here……
Where there is smoke there is fire in my opinion this begs further investigation.
Nine players leaving the team within a three year period is a major concern when Bertucci has been released, or left on unfavorable terms, from every program he has formerly coached. While I respect this journalist for attempting to write a difficult piece, this article completely neglects the fact that many girls have been emotionally and mentally harassed by this man. Sterrett is choosing to turn a blind eye to the concerns that current and past players are consistently presenting to him. I echo the comments entirely of Jane Doe and add that the complete disregard Lehigh Athletics has for the overall mental health for the past and current players should be a main focus for the University as a whole. It is a major concern that if this is the immediate response for just one team in particular, many other teams could be at risk for similar mistreatment. I would also like to comment that it is 9 girls who have quit in three years, and 11 girls that have left the team in his entire five year time with Lehigh Volleyball.
I would love to read the rewrite including the former players and parents, as well as anonymous comments from former players. I’d love to read the rewrite proving specific examples of how Coach Bertucci has changed his approach. I’d love to read the rewrite of how Coach Bertucci specifically supports the girls outside of volleyball. I’d love to read the rewrite of how Coach Bertucci provides emotional support for the girls. I’d love to read the rewrite that accurately portrays the emotional and psychological abuse that the girls experience. I’d love to read the rewrite were two privileged white males are not covering up their mistakes.
Reading this article brought up a lot of emotions for me, anger, hurt, frustration, disgust and disappointment. But really what I feel is sadness. Sadness at Lehigh Athletics for not protecting its athletes. Sadness at Coach Bertucci for continuously manipulating and exploiting young girls. Sadness at the Brown and White for failing to provide both sides of the story. Sadness for the former players and parents who were interviewed for this article, but whose voices weren’t heard. Sadness for the former players and players who do not speak out over fear of retaliation from both Coach Bertucci and Joe Sterret. Sadness for the young girls who are committed to this volleyball program and have no idea what is coming for them. Sadness for the girls who are currently being recruited to this program and are being fed lies. Sadness for the parents who entrust Lehigh athletics with their daughter’s well-being. And sadness that these two men cannot look beyond their self-interest to see that they are mentally and emotionally destroying these young women.
Oh my gosh well said!!!! I wanted to say all those things and was too scared too.
Such an environment of fear and repercussions if you speak out. So many players and parents “silenced” in various ways. So many were interviewed and so many opinions and points of view expressed, but as you say, none of that came out in this article. I too feel such extreme sadness for this program, for these girls and the parents. they have all been let down. So many incredible young girls needing validation that it was not them but the program and the people in the program that failed them. They did not fail, the system failed them. Many of them will deal with the repercussions for the rest of their lives and the people responsible carry on like nothing is wrong. It is just plain disgusting!
“This is not a sports factory,” Sterrett said. “We don’t hire anybody where all they want to do is win.”
He said this is why the attrition rate of players on the volleyball team does not worry him. Sterrett has a close relationship with Bertucci and works with him continually to adjust his coaching and recruiting for his team.
This is what I find the most troublesome. How does an attrition rate this high not concern an athletic director? And if it was not concerning then why did Coach Bertucci have to make changes? Also just because Lehigh athletics claims (claims being the key word) is not to just win, that does not mean it is reflected in every coach. Joe Sterrett has repeatedly ignored the concerns of players, parents, trainers and coaches who have reported Coach Bertucci’s unethical and illegal behaviors to him. I’d like to know who Joe Sterrett reports to and who holds him responsible for his lack of action. Who holds him accountable for his lies?
Exactly!! Neither Sterrett nor Bertucci have been held accountable for any of this, and all concerns, whether they be NCAA violations or concerns of intentional emotional abuse, have been swept under the rug. Joe Sterrett even said to one of the players that he was hesitant to let go of Coach Bertucci because of how well the team had been doing, regardless of the continually diminishing mental and emotional states of the players. Seems like a complete and total disregard for the well-being of players that has been perpetuated across graduating classes, just to keep a coach that has improved to quality of play. That really begs the question, when does a ‘successful’ coach cross the line enough to be held accountable for his actions? There are plenty of successful teams at Lehigh that have had little to no players quit, and it seems like leaving the team has just become part of the culture of this team which is very sad to see. You don’t need to sacrifice the mental and emotional health of student-athletes in order for them to be successful; it appears Sterrett and Bertucci have yet to realize this fact.
Joe Sterret has sent the message that it is okay for Lehigh coaches to put their hands on young women’s bodies without consent. That it is okay for coaches to tell young women that they are suffering from injuries because they are fat. That it is okay for coaches to tell players that they should play through concussions and lie to trainers about injuries. That it is okay for coaches to blackmail players with their scholarships. And that it is okay for coaches to exploit young women, as it results in a team win.
So sad to see that crucial years, for young girls development, are being dictated by a man who clearly gets pleasure in exerting his power over young girls. In this day and age girls should be treated with respect and dignity, not constantly belittled and criticized by a man.
Very clear that administration and the coach are looking out for themselves and not the interest of the girls on the team. Absolutely disgusting, I really wonder how they manage to sleep at night.
I wonder how Dean Sterrett and Coach Bertucci would react if their own daughters were being treated like this. Completely disheartening that there are men like this influencing the well-being of these girls.
Have to imagine this article would be drastically different had it not been in a piece done by the school. Drastically different as in the truth potentially….? I would like to hear from the girls who quit on why. Questions on playing time is one thing; playing for a coach who couldn’t care less for your well being is another. It is also hard to imagine that girls would not go to Sterret if this was a recurring problem (9 in two years certainly qualifies as such). Something smells of a coverup in this situation and the poor girls have to pay the price.
I once served on the board of a dance school. There were disturbing parallels of girls suddenly loosing their passion for a beloved activity they were really good at. We instituted a process of independent interviews with the dance students and uncovered some serious and unethical conduct by a senior ballet mistress. Playing favorites with students, mind games, undermining their desire to learn and grow. Not saying this is happening at Leighigh but an independent and confidential series of ‘exit’ interviews with each player would likely shed some genuine illumination on what is really going on. I would think it would be appropriate for a Senior Admissions Officer or a Dean of Students to take on this task.
The funny thing is that each girl HAS had an exit interview with Dean Sterrett… Some of which he said things quite contrary to what he has apparently said in the interview for this piece. I’m guessing that most of those girls said some “worrisome” things in those interviews, and he has taken it upon himself to do nothing with the information and continue to allow Coach Bertucci’s emotional exploitation of these girls. This goes way beyond the volleyball coaching staff; clearly the volleyball program is just a rotten apple that’s stemmed from the rotten tree of the athletics administration.
The fact that the Athletic Department stepped in and redacted the original article should confirm to all that the Lehigh University Athletic Department and the Volleyball administration is not comfortable with the scrutiny being applied. The original article focused more attention on the WHY. WHY did 9 highly recruited girls leave the program in the last 2 years. WHY is the AD refusing to acknowledge there is clearly an issue. WHY is the AD :”not concerned”?
It’s troubling that a school with such high expectations of its students and with such an honorable reputation is willing to create a smoke screen for a negligent athletic program where student athletes are being mistreated, finances are being misused, and NCAA violations are being swept under the rug.
How many players will it take to leave the program before something changes?
Lehigh University needs to decide whether they want to be a D1 program. If so, they need to provide better financial support and the proper oversight of these finances for these athletes. They need to create a fair and open environment where players are comfortable speaking with the coaches and coaches communicate freely with the players. They need to provide greater oversight to a program that is clearly troubled and hold the program administrators and coaches responsible for their actions.
Joe Sterrett – wake up. You have a problem here and ignoring it is not the answer.
This is really upsetting to read, especially when thinking about how this affects the reputation of Lehigh volleyball. Imagine what recruits will think when they search “Lehigh volleyball.” Is this how administration wants people to view not only the volleyball program, but Lehigh Athletics, even Lehigh University as an institution? How will this program recover from this if change is continued to be avoided? Seems unfair to the girls putting up the work on the team, and to the future girls who have committed to the play for the program in the next few years.
Coach Bertucci has violated murmurous NCAA rules, along with emotionally abusing his players. What I find the most horrific is his views on women. He places his hands on various parts of players bodies making girls feel violated. Tells players they “can act like a typical woman and hold a grudge” and that he shouldn’t care about raising money for the breast cancer awareness game because “breast cancer is a woman’s disease.” How can a man like this be allowed to coach and be responsible for so many young women?
Coach Bertucci obviously has a lot of issues, but what I find the most horrific is the amount of chances he’s been given and the amount of times he has been given to prove he has changed and hasn’t.
– He has thrown balls at players, and after being told he cannot do this by administration (one would think this is common sense), he has done it again.
– He has told players they were not allowed a water break during a 3 hour practice because they “did not earn it”
– He continuously tells players to lie about injuries to the trainers in order to keep them playing
– He told players that they are not allowed to look for internships because it will distract from volleyball
– He has called players dumb in front of the entire team
What kind of man is this and what kind of man hears about this and does nothing to fix it?
Dean Sterrett and Bertucci are lucky the team has such great assistant coaches. Without those coaches they wouldn’t have enough girls to compete.
Agreed, Gavin is the best thing that has happened to this program. The girls love him
Joe Sterret is a bully and master manipulator. He manipulates these girls into thinking there is something wrong with them. That they are not mentally tough enough to be a division 1 athlete. That Lehigh may have made a mistake in thinking that they were strong enough to handle the life of a division 1 athlete. He does this knowing that when someone as powerful as him says this, these young players will believe him. He says this knowing that this is a lie and that Bertucci is a problem but it’s easier to manipulate these girls into feeling powerless and insufficient than it is to fire the man who is the root cause of these issues.