Becca Lucas was contacted by Janet VanLiew last winter to coach at CVBC, the Cougar Volleyball Club, and Lucas decided to try it out.

She coached the CBVC 12-2 team, and Lucas had a blast.

“I absolutely fell in love with coaching just like I did the sport when I played,” she said.

After that experience, a couple of people contacted Lucas’ mom, Julie, about Becca applying for the head coaching position for Medora High School volleyball.

At first, Lucas was unsure if she wanted to, but after time passed and the position was still open, she felt it was her calling.

“I kind of held off because I’m only 19 and these girls are going to be really close in age to me, but as it got closer to the school year, they still didn’t have a coach and thought it was my time to step up,” Lucas said.

Lucas played for two years — her freshman and sophomore seasons — at Brownstown Central High School, and she played club volleyball every year that she could since sixth grade.

She is heading into her second year as a full-time student at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus, where she studies business management, and Lucas feels after a year of college under her belt, she knows what to prioritize and how to time manage.

The 19-year-old is excited to lead the Medora volleyball program.

“I’m absolutely ecstatic,” Lucas said. “This program I’m starting from the very beginning and building it completely up, so that’s exciting. It’s a lot of hard work, that’s for sure.”

She and the Hornets have already started open gyms this month, where she has met the players on the team and even gotten two more girls who previously weren’t on the team to join.

Growing the program like that is an important aspect for Lucas.

“I want to get some more girls involved. We don’t have JV, only varsity, so it’d be nice to get a second team going,” she said. “A lot of the girls have never even played this sport, so just getting some of the middle-schoolers involved and getting them familiar with the game so when they come in freshman year, we’re not starting from ground zero.”

As a former player herself not too long ago, Lucas enjoys the fact she can get out on the court with the players and participate in practice.

“I can get out there on the court and show them exactly what I want to see,” she said. “I’m young enough to move that way still, which is good because some people learn better from watching instead of being told. It’s an absolute blast to get out there with them. I love it.”

In addition to practicing, the Hornets are doing a lot of fundraising this summer. Medora opens the season Aug. 15 at home against Christian Academy.

Lucas is excited to get her tenure as the head coach officially started.

“We’re just trying to build it up and get a big crowd at the games,” she said, and she also explained why she enjoys coaching, saying, “I think it’s like the bond with the players. You watch the girls fall in love with the game, too, and it’s great.”