Category Archives: 2010
George Green
George Green has been the coach at St. Joseph’s High School for 32 years. His overall record is 537 and 117. Although undocumented, his 537 wins in volleyball, is believed to be the most wins in Connecticut history.
His teams won 14 League Championships and five State Championships in 1984, ’89, ’91, ’92, and ’97 and won the silver medal in 2002.
George was twice the coach in the Sr. Volleyball All-Star game including in its inaugural year in 1991, and was named CT. High School Coach of the year in 1993. He was also named the New Haven Register and CT. Post Coach of the Year.
In addition, George won three State Championships in Class M Boys’ Volleyball and five State Championships in Class S Girls and Boys Tennis.
In this, his last year of coaching volleyball, George has left a legacy of outstanding coaching success that will not be forgotten.
Heather Washburn
Heather Washburn played high school volleyball at Morgan High School from 1994 through 1997. When she played, her team won! In her high school career, their team record was 85 and 3. They not only won their league title all four years, they also won the state championship all four years.
Heather averaged 20 kills and 8 digs per match and her serving percentage was 90%. She was named 1st Team All-Conference, 1st Team All-State, and the New Haven Register’s All-Area Athlete.
Heather went on to attend Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York where she played volleyball and softball and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in biology with a minor in chemistry and in 2007, earned an advanced degree in veterinary medicine from Ross University.
Judith Schaefer Joslin
Judith Schaefer Joslin played high school volleyball at Maloney in Meriden from 1975 to 1978. She was a member of two state championship teams and one silver medal team. She also won her team’s sportsmanship award.
From 1978 to 1982, she played at Southern Connecticut State University as their middle hitter. She was awarded the most improved player award and was captain of the team in her senior year. In 1981, her team competed in the Regional Championship and won the 2nd place silver medal.
Judith played USVBA volleyball in the open division and competed in the Nationals is 1989. She was a successful high school girls volleyball coach from 1982 to 1997 with various teams. At present, she is the boys volleyball coach at Enfield High School and her success earned her the CIAC Boys Volleyball Coach of the Year Award.
Cindy DeCarlo
Cindy DeCarlo earned her BS and MS in Physical Education from Southern CT State University and later earned her 6th Year in Administration from Southern as well.
From 1978 to 1982, Cindy coached volleyball at Jonathan Law HS in Milford. Then in 1986 she began officiating volleyball as a member of the CT Federation of Volleyball Officials, the CFVO. During this time she held the offices of secretary/treasurer and vice-president as well.
In 1995 she served as a volunteer volleyball official for the International Special Olympics held in New Haven.
In the 1998 – 1999 school year, Cindy left officiating to become an interim elementary building administrator. At the end of that year, she went back to officiating as President of the CFVO. During the years she officiated, Cindy was assigned not only regular season matches, she also officiated conference and state tournaments including finals as both a referee and a down official.
Cindy is a past member of the CIAC Board of Volleyball Officials, and after spearheading the effort for many years to bring both boards of officials under one governing body, which they are now, she has continued her affiliation with the CFVO as an ex-officio member.
Cindy retired 1n 2008 after 35 years of teaching Physical Education in the Milford Public Schools. She is currently working as an adjunct professor at Southern supervising Physical Education Student Teachers.
Susan Holcombe
Susan Holcombe played at the Gilbert School in Winsted from 1983 to 1986 and was a three year varsity starter. She played middle hitter for coach Mary Ellen Vaccari, a CT Women’s Volleyball Hall of Fame member.
In her sophomore year, Susan’s team was the Berkshire League Champions. In her junior year, they successfully defended their League Championship and Susan was named to the 1st Team All-League, and was Honorable Mention for the 1st Team All-State.
It was Susan’s senior year however that was the most memorable year. Her team repeated to become three time Berkshire League champions, and she was again named to the 1st Team All-League. Then they also won the Class S State Championship and Susan was named to the 1st Team All-State as well as being awarded her team’s MVP Award.
Susan went on to play at Clarion University of Pennsylvania for Coach Cindy Opalski, who is also a CT Women’s Volleyball Hall of Fame Member. From 1992 through 1994, Susan was a Division I assistant coach at Bucknell University.
Gail Lackey
Currently in her 33rd year at Wesleyan University, Gale Lackey will complete her 26th season as the Head Coach of the Cardinal Volleyball team in 2010. Gale has compiled a 429-334 mark over 25 seasons at Wesleyan. Gale joined the Wesleyan staff in 1978 after spending a year coaching volleyball at the University of Bridgeport. With 13 wins there, Gale has 442 victories in her volleyball college coaching career as of the 2009 season, which ranks among the national leaders in Division III and ranks her as the second all-time winning coach in the history of Wesleyan University Athletics.
Prior to her stint at the University of Bridgeport, Gale coached girl’s volleyball for seven years at Spring Grove High School in York County, Pennsylvania, an area of Pennsylvania with a long and impressive volleyball tradition. In four of her seven seasons at Spring Grove, Gale’s teams were Western Division Champs and played for the prestigious York County Championships. She coached members of her high school squad at the Girls’ Junior National Tournament in Chicago in 1977, after her team won the Middle Atlantic Regional Championship that spring.
Gale is a 1970 graduate of West Chester University in Pennsylvania with a B.S. in Health and Physical Education and earned her M. ED degree there, as well. At Wesleyan University, Gale’s team won the coveted Little Three Championship in 1992 with wins over Williams College and Amherst College. At Wesleyan she has coached seven All-Americans, one NESCAC Rookie of the Year, one NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year and three NESCAC Players of the Year. She was named 2001 NESCAC Coach of the Year after guiding her squad to a 30-6 record, a NESCAC Regular -season Championship with a 9-1 mark, and an invitation to the NCAA Division III tournament. Gale also coached her 2000 squad to an ECAC North Region Division III Championship. In between the 2000 and 2001 seasons, Gale arranged for her squad to take a memorable trip to Cuba during the winter break in January 2001. There, her team competed against a Cuban Junior National team in Havana. Her Wesleyan teams are consistently presented with the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s “Team Academic Award,” which requires a Team Cumulative GPA of 3.4 or higher. Gale has mentored and given free volleyball clinics to residents and students at the Children’s Home of Cromwell. She has given free clinics to underprivileged girls in the Cape Henlopen, DE area. Gale provided volleyball instruction in the Cape Town region of South Africa during a People to People Sports Exchange tour in 1997. She served as a Deputy Commissioner of Volleyball for the Special Olympics World Games in New Haven in 1995, scheduling over 150 contests over the course of that competition.
Gale, who holds the rank of Adjunct Professor of Physical Education and Feminist and Gender Studies at the University, teaches a fencing class and a course entitled “Gender and Sport.” Gale served as Head Coach of Field Hockey from 1978 to 1984, be-fore taking over the volleyball helm in 1985. She was also the Head Coach of Women’s Lacrosse at Wesleyan from 1979 to 1997. She is the athletic department’s Senior Woman Administrator and Associate Director of Athletics. Gale earned Stage I International Coaching Certification from the FIVB at Texas A&M in 1978.