Alumna continues volleyball life after college

By Margo Consul

Santa Clara alumna and volleyball standout Caroline Walters was a defensive force for Santa Clara from 2004-2007.

Walters, '08, was a three-time All-West Coast Conference honorable mention selection and helped guide Santa Clara to a Final Four appearance in 2005.

After spending some time away from the game, Walters resurrected her love for volleyball as an assistant coach at Cal Poly, something that she did not envision herself doing.

"I pretty much fell into it," Walters says of her newfound coaching career.

Walters didn't always plan on coaching after Santa Clara. She graduated from Santa Clara in 2008 with a degree in accounting and immediately began working at her dad's firm in Los Gatos.

In her spare time, Walters started coaching as an assistant with the 18-Blue squad of one of northern California's top clubs, Vision Volleyball Club. The 18-Blue division is currently coached by Santa Clara volleyball Associate Coach Dustin Moore.

Walters' work with Vision led to her chance to coach for Cal Poly. The three-year captain and a four-time program Defensive MVP looked like a perfect choice for the squad.

Her abilities as a coach were recognized by Cal Poly Head Coach John Stevenson, a good friend of Moore's and Walters', who offered Walters an opportunity to coach with him.

"It was too great to pass up," Walters said. "I came down here and I interviewed and was down here within that month."

Walters attributes her connections in the volleyball world and the skills she gained while playing volleyball to her past coach.

"My personal records, I would say, are mostly due to my high school coach Joe Ripp," she said. "He has a defensive mindset and we did defensive drills everyday."

Ripp is currently the director of the Vision Volleyball Club.

"I had a competitive fire pretty much from when I started playing sports at a young age," Walters added. "I have the mindset of kill every kill, so I was always pretty competitive and I think that is something that has helped me personally."

Walters is trying to pass her passion for volleyball onto her young players.

At Cal Poly, Walters focuses on working with the Mustangs' serve receivers and down defenders. Off the court her focus is geared toward the coordination of recruiting efforts and a role in both internal and external operations.

"Getting them to understand how short of a time for them it is in their lives and that you have to dedicate yourself to it 100 percent," Walters said. "It really does seem like it is taking over your life at the time, but it's your job pretty much as college athletes pretty much and obviously academics, but volleyball is a thing that gets most of us there, so you really have to put your dues in."

Walters brings to the table a long, rich volleyball resume that is highlighted by her accomplishments at Santa Clara.

As a Bronco, Walters strung together four consistent seasons with plenty of results to highlight her performance.

The 5-foot-9-inch libero appeared in 421 of 428 possible sets during her career. She is also the owner of four of the top five single season per-game dig marks in Santa Clara history.

With Walters on the back line, the team had an 84-34 aggregate record, secured a 41-15 combined West Coast Conference mark and never finished lower than third in the conference standings during any of her four seasons.

Walters was immediately successful upon her first matches as a member of the team. Her 4.93 digs-per-game mark recorded as a freshman in 2004 stands as the top single-season mark in Santa Clara history.

Her most notable season was as a sophomore in 2005, as her conference-leading 516 digs, also the third highest single-season total in Santa Clara history, sent the Broncos to a program-record 27 victories, a West Coast Conference championship, a berth into the NCAA Tournament national semifinals and a final No. 4 ranking in the AVCA Coaches Top-25 Poll. Walters played alongside other top competitors, including All-Americans Anna Cmaylo and Crystal Matich.

"That one year the team was great, we had great team chemistry, everyone got along and we all knew we were working towards that common goal so its was just a really fun year," Walters said. "It's a great thing to say I was a part of it."

Walters now experiences her team's triumphs less often. Cal Poly is currently 5-12 overall with a Big West Conference record of 1-3, but Walters is optimistic about her squad.

"The season isn't going as I hoped it would, but they are young and learning and respectful, so it's good," Walters said.

As her new career begins and blossoms, Walters encourages current Broncos to be ready for anything.

"I just say be open to every opportunity. Something as small as volunteering at a clinic or anything can open so many doors for you and obviously get you so many contacts, so networking is huge," she said.

"Walking with style and class is something that our coaches always ingrained us with at Santa Clara," Walters said. "I always have that mantra in the back of my mind and being respectful of people I think people see it, and if it's in everyday life or whatever, it's just always knowing that there are going to be opportunities if you are open to them."

Contact Margo Consul at mconsul@scu.edu or (831) 551-1918.