Anyone who's test driven a car, walked in a house, tried on shoes or jacket knows the feeling. That feeling of connectedness and that boost of self-confidence make you realize you have to have it, whatever it is.
In the case of head volleyball coach Carrie Yerty, she knew she had to have Travis Filar as her assistant coach.
"For the first time both of my assistants have had experience at different Division-1 schools for multiple years," Yerty said. When considering she will be entering her 10th season as head coach for the Tigers can the weight of that statement be understood.
Filar joins existing assistant coach and former Tiger star April Harriman who excelled in the hitter position for the Tigers from 1997 - 2000.
Harriman comes from an assistant position at Lamar University. Other than coaching, Harriman also brings experiences from academic success. While at Memphis, Harriman make eight dean's lists and received the 2000 Female Student-Athlete of the year award.
Between the two assistants there is more than 10 years of coaching experience.
However, Filar's isn't isolated to volleyball.
He has coached both soccer and basketball at lower levels, and both helped prepare him for this position.
Since both sports include an intense need for teamwork and game management, those skills can translate directly into volleyball, according to Filar.
Filar describes himself as a player's coach as he utilizes a positive reinforcement style of coaching, which he says mixes very well with Yerty and Harriman.
"I think players like to play for someone like that," he said.
Filar will join the staff in Memphis' first season in the realigned Conference USA, which includes six new teams (Marshall, Rice, SMU, Tulsa, UCF and UTEP) to fill in for spots left by eight teams leaving (Louisville, Marquette, TCU, Cincinnati, Saint Louis, Charlotte, DePaul and South Florida).
The good news for the Tigers is that four of the eight teams leaving occupied the top four records in C-USA last year leaving Memphis with the best record from last season.
Filar said he believes that Memphis should be competing for a conference title every year and possibly a spot in the NCAA tournament.
"I think that would be a huge stepping stone for this program," said Filar, who believes the Tigers should be in contention starting next year.
In other volleyball business, the Tigers' first ever sand volleyball tournament is less than a month away.
Although no teams have signed up, Harriman is optimistic that on July 16 the recreation center's sand volleyball court will be packed.
"We've received a lot of interest," she said. "I think we can get all 10 teams."
