Bio

Head Coach Erika Waycaster is entering her second year as head coach of the Pellissippi State volleyball program. Her first year saw growth and grit from her team, as they fought to find their place in the conference in their first year as a program. Her team finished tied for third in the conference last year after pulling off multiple thrilling matches. Her team energized the campus and brought hundreds of fans and students to the gym to watch them play each week. 

Heading into year two, and having a full year to build out her roster, coach Waycaster is excited to see the court and watch her team come together and fight for a conference title. With new assistant coach Casey Hencken by her side, Coach Waycaster hopes to build on last year's successes and find out what her team is made of. 

Coach Waycaster spent 6 years as an assistant volleyball coach at Walters State before accepting the head job at Pellissippi State. Spending that amount of time at the NJCAA level, knowing what a successful program looks like from the inside, and having been a student-athlete herself, coach Waycaster knows what her players are going through on a day-to-day basis and loves to be there for them and mentor them and mold them into the successful players she knows they can be.

"I know what it's like to be a student-athlete, and they're just now getting their feet wet in the college game," she said. "Academically, college is going to be a little more challenging, juggling their classes with practices and games, but this is the time to start figuring out how life works. They'll learn time management and how to take responsibility for themselves." 

In her dual role as coach and academic adviser, Waycaster is interested in investing in students on and off the court and preparing her players for "life after volleyball," she said. 

"They're here at Pellissippi State to figure out what they want to be," Waycaster said. "I'm excited to be a Panther and to help lead these young women to be strong women, on and off the court."

Coach Waycaster and the volleyball team can be followed on social media @PSCCVball