Category Archives: Search for Inductee

Vincent Buehler

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Vincent began his lifelong association with volleyball at the age of 16 when he started playing with the American Turners in New York City. At age 18 he became the player/coach for the Turners, a position he held for the next 15 years.  During that time, his team competed in many USA Volleyball National Championships.

In 1970, Vincent became a regional referee in the Garden Empire in New York City for USA Volleyball. Two years later he earned his national rating for USAV. He was selected to referee at Madison Square Garden for the US National Team at an exhibition match.

Vincent moved to Connecticut in 1970 where he began his 28-year officiating career refereeing girls’ high school games. He contributed as a referee assignor for the Fairfield county area assigning 43 high schools. He also held the position as rules interpreter for that district.

He started the Fairfield County USA Jr. Olympic girls’ volleyball program and set up volleyball camps in Fairfield county for high school girls.

Vincent also game of his time as a volunteer for the Special Olympics World Games in New Haven and he served as the co-coordinator for the 3rd Annual Easter Seals Volleyball Marathon.

Vincent received awards from the town of Stratford for his time and donations to the sports programs in the schools. Most recently he was honored by the FCIAC when they named their league MVP aware after Vincent A. Buehler.

During his 42 years of participation in the sport of volleyball, it is believed that he played and officiated somewhere between 35,000 to 40,000 games.

Volleyball was his number one passion.

Fran Vandermeer

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Fran graduated from Bulkeley High School in Hartford and from Southern Connecticut State University, where she captained the Owls’ volleyball team. Formerly the head volleyball coach at Lewis Mills High School, Connecticut College and St. Joseph College, she is presently the head coach of the volleyball and softball teams at Trinity College.

Fran is well-known in Connecticut for her 23 years of volleyball officiating. She has officiated the CIAC girls’ and boys’ state championships in all divisions. On the college level, she has been officiating NCAA games including as a referee in the Women’s Division II final game in 1996 and 1997 and at the Men’s Division I Final Four as a line judge in 1995. Her other notable refereeing experience include the 1998 Nike World Master’s games in Portland, Oregon.

She has been a member of the A.B.O.  National Rating Team (NRT) which rates candidates going for a national rating as well as the ABO National Training Team. working to train volleyball officials. Fran has worked as a high school and collegiate assigner for schools in Connecticut. Her other assigning duties have been as the America East assignor in 1996 and the 1995 Spacial Olympics World Games deputy commissioner for volleyball officials.

Peg Scofield

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Peg started her volleyball career in 1976 at Westhill High School in Stamford where she was coached by Winnie Hamilton.  She competed on the varsity level for three years and was selected as team captain in her senior season. While playing for Westhill, they enjoyed county championships and the team was the Class LL runner-up. She was selected to the All-FCAIC team. She also lettered in basketball and was county and state champion in the high jump while on a member of the Westhill track and field team.

Peg was honored by becoming the first female athlete to have her number retired in Stamford (#10).

After graduation from Westhill, Peg continued her academic and volleyball carer at Rutgers University where she received the Scholar-Athlete award, was a two-time MVP, and was selected to the all-conference team four times.  While Peg played for Rutgers, they won the Atlantic-10 conference championship. Her squad also qualified for the NCAA Championship tournament.

Presently, Peg is the Head volleyball coach at Yale University where her teams have compiled a 227-128 record during her 13-year tenure, including six 20-win seasons.  She serves on the editorial board of Coaching Volleyball magazine and still competes on a USVBA/USA women’s AA club team.

Yale Daily News: Scofield reaches 300-win plateau

Sandra Piantek

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Sandra graduated from Middletown High School. She received her BS and MS degrees from SCSU and her 6th year certificate from UCONN. She competed on the SCSU volleyball team from 1962-1966. She is presently the chairperson of the Health and Physical Education department at Maloney High School in Meriden.

Sandi initiated and coached the very first varsity sports for girls at Maloney High, which were field hockey and volleyball. Her volleyball coaching career at Maloney High School spanned 12 years and her overall volleyball coaching record is an incredible 220-9. During her reign as coach, her teams captured 7 state volleyball championships from 1973-1978, while also being runner up in the 1975 title game.

She was selected as the Connecticut High Schools Coaches Association Volleyball Coach of the Year in 1974.

The Morning Record: Maloney Volleyball Incredible Success Story

Doreen Paul

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Doreen played for Cheshire High School and was coached by Cynthia Hitchcock from 1975-1977.  In 1975 her team captured the Housatonic League championship, as they did the 1976 as well.  Also in 1976 they won the Class M state title.

Doreen was named to the All-State team and later participated in tryouts for the US Olympic volleyball team.  In July 1976 she toured Poland playing exhibition volleyball with the Cheshire High School team.  By 1977, Doreen was captain of her team and once again they won league and state championships.

During her years on the team, teh Cheshire Hish volleyball team enjoyed a 62-match winning streak. Doreen coached volleyball at Saint Rose of Lima in New Haven from 1991-1992. She is presently self-employed and working out of New Haven.

Sandra Lautz-Moyer

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Sandra started her successful volleyball career at Foran High School where she was coached by Joseph Baler. She was selected to the All-State team in 1982. Sandra continued to play after high school at the University of New Haven where she was coached by Debbie Chin.

Sandra was a four-year starter on the team, including being a setter for three years. She is second on UNH’s all-time assist list with 3,324. She also ranks eleventh all-time at UNH with 608 career digs.

Sandra was named AVCA first team All Northeast region in 1986 and she played on teams that qualified for the NCAA tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16 each of her four years. She finished her career with a 144-31 record, four NECC titles, and was selected first-team All-NECC three times. Sandra is married to Dave Moyer and is the mother of two children, David and Carley.

Jean Hunt

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Jean graduated from Boston University and UCONN.  She began her teaching and coaching career in 1952 at Litchfield High School where she coached soccer, basketball, field hockey and cheerleading. She left that position to continue her career at Farmington High School where she coached from 1957 until 1981. While at Farmington, Jean distinguished herself as an accomplished volleyball coach from 1965-1974. During that time her teams accumulated a record of 73-3. There were undefeated in regular season and regional competition.

There were the CIAC State Champions consecutively from 1966-1972. There were also runners-up in 1974.

Jean also coached badminton, basketball, field hockey, softball and track and field at Farmington where she led her teams to 11 state championships, 8 conference championships and 19 undefeated seasons.

In 1967, her field hockey, badminton, basketball and volleyball teams were all undefeated and that year the badminton and volleyball teams took home state championships. Her overall record is 509-139 with 44 ties.   She has received numerous awards for her work in coaching and teaching. Most recently she was honored by the National of Girls and Women in Sport and was name a Project Acclaim Mentor.

Collinsville Press (obituary)

Debbie Chin

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Debbie graduated from W.C. Mephem High School and received BS from SUNY at Cortland, as well as an MS from the University of North Carolina. She is presently the Director of Athletics at the University of New Haven.

There is no aspect of the game of volleyball with which Debbie has not been affiliated. She was a player for the Connecticut Clippers from 1968-1977 where she competed in nine national tournaments. She has officiated on the college level for many years from 1973-1985. This experience also included officiating many regional and national championships. She was a member of the National Volleyball Officials rating team from 1976-1985.

As the head coach at the University of New Haven from 1975-1993, Debbie’s teams competed in eight regional and five national championships. They placed as high as fifth in 1984, 1985, 1988 and 1993. She is a USVBA Coaches Instructor Level I and Level II as well as International Volleyball Federation Stage One Coach. In that capacity, she has given clinics around the world.

Her #1 Total Volleyball Camp held during the summer at Wesleyan University has trained many of the state’s elite high school players.

Debbie has held numerous positions and chaired many committees in intercollegiate athletics. Most recently, she sits on the New England Collegiate Conference Executive Committee and she has chaired the National Association of Girls and Women in Sport volleyball rules committee from 1993-1997.