Reimer to step down as Volleyball coach
By: David Toelle, KWU Sports Information

In an effort to concentrate more on basketball, Kansas Wesleyan coach Gordon Reimer has stepped down as volleyball coach for the Lady Coyotes after three seasons at the helm.

Reimer will continue as coach of the women’s basketball program.

Reimer completed his third season as volleyball coach in November, leading the Coyotes to a 20-12 overall record, his best at Kansas Wesleyan. Reimer was 48-42 overall and 35-19 in Kansas Conference play during his tenure.

"I'm really excited about it," Reimer said Wednesday. "I'll be able to apply all of my energy and resources and time to one individual sport. That's going to help me a lot to build this basketball program into the program that I want."

Wesleyan had its best volleyball season since 1998 last fall, going 20-12 overall and 14-4 in KCAC play.

The added pressure of coaching two sports at the collegiate level, whose seasons overlap, took a toll on Reimer, and made recruiting in both sports, especially volleyball a challenge.

"It's like I told the girls, the volleyball team got the best of me, because that's the time when I'm the freshest and full of energy and give them a hundred percent in the fall season," Reimer said.

"The overlap of volleyball and basketball stretched me to where I was dividing that energy and time commitment. Then it became basketball season and you're trying to recruit for the volleyball team, and coach the basketball team and also recruit for the basketball team.

"It became a situation of stretching the resources a little bit too thin."

KWU Director of Athletic Programs Matthew Williams said that the idea to split the volleyball and basketball positions has been on the table for several months.

"When I took this job it was one of the things that was a concern of mine," he said. "The president (Philip P. Kerstetter) listened to me and backed me up on this idea. The president and business manager (Wayne Schneider) felt we needed to make this move."

Reimer said making the decision to leave volleyball was not an easy one.

"It's difficult to say goodbye to that part. In three years I did what I said I would do when I came on board. I felt we were going in the right direction with that program and had built one of the best in the KCAC," he said.

After going 8-10 in KCAC play his first season, Reimer finished in third at 13-5 a year ago, and tied for second this season at 14-4, including a string of 12 straight victories.

"Basketball is my first love, the sport I started coaching in," Reimer said. "I feel like now we'll have the opportunity to develop this program into the type of program the volleyball program is. I can devote all of my time and energy into getting it turned around."

Reimer’s women’s basketball team is 5-13 overall and 1-7 in the KCAC, and has dropped four straight, something the Coyotes hope can be turned around heading into tomorrow’s game with Saint Mary at Muir Gym.

Williams said the search for a new volleyball coach has begun and he hopes to have a new coach in place "as soon as possible."

-- KWU SI --

Salina Journal sports editor Bob Davidson contributed to this story.