I do not know Maureen Kaiser and know very little about her St. Henry volleyball team. I do know, though, if I had a vote for State High School Volleyball Coach of the Year, she would get my vote. During these uncertain times, Kaiser showed this week what high school athletics should be all about.
Her team is 13-7 and lost 3-2 to Dixie Heights in the 34th District Tournament title game. St. Henry is scheduled to play Notre Dame Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the 9th Region Tournament.
Notre Dame is 19-3, including 10-0 against 9th Region opponents. It beat St. Henry 21-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-22 on Sept. 18 and has won seven straight since a 3-2 loss to Mercy on Oct. 3.
However, Notre Dame will not have its varsity team at Tuesday’s match. Instead, it will be forced to play its junior varsity team since someone in close proximity to the team tested positive for COVID-19 and now the varsity team cannot compete.
Obviously, St. Henry’s chances of winning against the JV team and reaching the regional semifinals are a lot better than if Notre Dame had its varsity team competing. Yet Kaiser still offered to make adjustments to the regional schedule to give Notre Dame time to get its varsity team back even though her team had also been quarantined and had to play its junior varsity team in the district. They will be off quarantine, though, for Tuesday’s match.
“I was willing to make adjustments so that all varsity teams could be represented in the Regional Tournament. Every girl has put in the hours and time to compete,” Kaiser said.
Kaiser was even reluctant to respond to my inquiry because her offer to postpone the match was not done for publicity reasons. Instead, it was made because right is right.
“That is not their fault and they did nothing wrong. Why punish a student athlete for something out of their control. Why punish Notre Dame Academy because they are a top team in the region as well as the state? This 14-day quarantine period was punishment enough and time was served. All players and coaching staff are healthy and well. No one is at risk. My heart told me it was the right thing to do,” she said.
“The pandemic was not placed in the sports arena to help someone get an additional win during the region. Just my opinion and my heart breaks for the senior athletes who just want to put a uniform on just one more time.”
Say Amen. This is a coach who understands the value of athletics is about more than winning and losing. It’s about right and wrong and teaching values to youngsters.
“I have been a coach for 30 years, and I coach because I love the girls, enjoy competition and have an awesome coaching staff. Unfortunately, the tournament goes on and begins tonight,” she said.
“The way I look at it now is that it has brought two teams and two coaching staffs closer together and maybe down the road we can join forces for the greater good of others,” Kaiser said.
One item on my bucket list now is to meet Kaiser and hopefully one day to even be able to give her a hug. She reminded me why I have loved covering high school athletics for 45 plus years and that there are still people who put doing what is right above winning.
Her players are lucky to have her as a coach and we are lucky to have someone like her coaching volleyball and working as athletics director at St. Henry.
