The Elon volleyball team has a familiar face this year. Two years after leaving Elon with numerous accolades from her time on the volleyball team, Haylie Clark has returned to Elon’s campus as an assistant coach.
Clark said it is great to be back on the team in some capacity.
“I loved being here as a player and now I’m getting to experience it in a different view,” Clark said.
During her time at Elon as a student-athlete, Clark played volleyball under head coach Mary Tendler from 2018-22. She earned many achievements during her time, including being named to the 2021 All-Coastal Athletic Association Second Team and the 2021 CAA Setter of the Year. She racked up 349 kills, 879 digs, 142 blocks and 113 aces during her time at Elon. A former captain of the team, she managed to amass 2,838 assists, which ranks fifth in the program’s history. In 2021, she led the team in aces and assists and helped lead the team reach the CAA Tournament Championship game.
Most recently, Clark was an assistant coach at Bucknell University, working primarily on the team’s offense.
Tendler said she is glad they were able to hire Clark after her time at Bucknell.
“She just has a good mind for the game, and I was glad that she got an opportunity to be somewhere else for a year at Bucknell and then come back,” Tendler said. “I think it's good to get different experiences. She's young, but she's just an up and coming coach that I feel lucky to have gotten on the staff.”
Assistant coach Haylie Clark advises players on the sideline on Sept. 7 in Schar Center.
Elon’s environment is what made Clark come back to the college she spent five years at.
“I think all of the resources that we provide with the student athletes are really great,” Clark said. “It allows them to be successful on the court and off the court, and I think that's something that not all schools have and it's definitely something nice that we can take advantage of here.”
According to Tendler, the transition to coaching her for five years to working with her has been an adjustment, but it has been easy due to her already knowing Clark personally.
“It's definitely different, probably an adjustment for both of us,” Tendler said. “She calls me Mary now instead of coach, which is fine, but still sounds strange to me a little bit and probably a little awkward for her.”
But, Tendler is happy that she is on the staff.
“Some of the same stuff that I saw in her as a player, I see in her as a coach, and I knew I would,” Tendler said. “She's just competitive, she's very passionate about the game and very loyal to Elon. She was my first choice when we had an open position.”
Clark said the transition has been easy, having gotten to know how Tendler is as a coach and what she likes during her time as a player.
Having played with six of the current players on the team and being so close in age with the members of the volleyball team, Clark said she believes the transition to coaching has been smooth.
“When I was a player, I was injured a lot, so I kind of coached them up a little bit while I was a player, so I think they've already experienced that side of me,” Clark said. “Everyone's been really receptive and it's been great to be able to coach girls that I already know because I know how they like to take feedback and those kinds of things.”
Tendler echoes this statement, believing that her experience being in the players’ shoes will help her ability to coach.
“Her relationship is different now with them because she's a coach, but I think it's good because she's been there,” Tendler said. “She's won a lot of matches for Elon, she's been to the championship match of the CAA tournament and knows what it feels like and how to get there. So when she says something, it's meaningful, and she just has a different perspective as a coach on the staff that’s been in their position with things.”
However, building a relationship with the players isn’t the only thing Tendler is excited to see from Clark. She said she thinks her experience at Elon will help the program tremendously when it comes to recruiting new talent.
“Who can sell Elon as a student athlete better than Haley?” Clark said. “She was recruited here, she played here for five years, she knows what it's like to be a player, so it's an easy sell for her.”
Clark said she believes the reasons that brought her back to Elon can help bring about success to the program, and she is excited for the future of Elon volleyball.
“I think it all has to do with the environment,” Clark said. “I love Elon. I love the town that we're in. I love the people that I work with. I think all of those things coming together can breed successful programs. We're in our journey in our own way, and I think we're on the road to success.”