Volleyball coach Cora Thompson has high expectations.
"In the past, Tufts wasn't a powerhouse, but was just a respectable team," Thompson said. "When I came here [in 1995], I'd say we were around a .500 team. Now, we wouldn't settle for .600."
It may sound a bit unabashed to those unfamiliar with the program and its success, but a .600 record for this year's team would indeed be "settling," as the Jumbos boasted a 22-5 overall record (.815), and a 6-1 mark (.857) in the NESCAC going into last night's match against Bowdoin. That's nearly on pace with last season's 28-6 record (9-1 NESCAC), the team's best in a decade.
"We say we want to improve each year, but it's a little scary because the bar's getting pretty high right now," Thompson said.
Thompson, who glowingly describes this year's team as her "baby" ("I recruited them all!" she says), is neither short on intensity nor on enthusiasm. Thompson is a self-described paradox, both intense and easygoing, and candid about her opinions in an endearing manner. The four-year head coach, who was just 24 when she was hired to take over the job vacated by former coach Kris Herman, doesn't mince words and is decidedly enthused about her role in taking the Jumbos from a program simply deserving of recognition to one regarded as one of the premier programs in the region.
"We're getting anywhere from 300 to 500 hits a year [of potential recruits] interested in our program," Thompson said. "Things have changed in a lot of ways in the past few years. Not only are we getting known, but so is the recruiting process in general, and how popular participating in college sports is."
Thompson was on the other end of the recruiting process ten years ago, when she applied and was accepted to Tufts, entering in 1995 as a civil engineer, though she later changed her major to psychology.
"I was an engineer. And then I was going to do languages. And then it was English, and I think sociology at one point, too, and then I wanted to do bio-psychology," Thompson said. "There may have been others. But finally it was just psychology."
Thompson comes from Half Moon Bay, California, a picturesque coast town of about 11,000 people located 30 miles south of San Francisco. Her mother is a kindergarten teacher while her father works for BART, a local transit authority. Thompson talks about her home state and her family with passion, including her plans to visit her younger brother who lives by Lake Tahoe, a few hours' drive from her parents' home.
"This winter vacation I'm going up to Tahoe to stay with him, definitely," she said, although she failed to indicate whether her brother was aware of her plans. "I love my job, and it's great because when students get vacation, coaches more or less get vacation. Of course, I love California, too, so I usually go back there for vacations. I actually do a lot of my recruiting there, so it works out."
Thompson grew up playing softball, basketball and volleyball throughout her high school years at Half Moon Bay High. At Tufts she played both softball and volleyball, and tri-captained both teams as a senior. On the diamond, she was a starting shortstop throughout her four years, playing in all 149 games of her career while posting 80 runs scored (13th all-time), 133 hits (12th-time), 68 RBI (11th all-time), and a .301 career batting average.
Upon graduating from Tufts in 1999, she was hired as a graduate assistant for then-head coach Herman, who was also coaching the softball program at the time, while concurrently getting a masters' degree in education. Two years later, when the volleyball-softball coaching job was split into two separate positions, Thompson was offered the role of volleyball head coach, and became the youngest head coach in recent years.
"I really thank [Athletic Director] Bill Gehling for taking a chance with me; taking a 24-year-old to run his volleyball program," Thompson said. "I don't know how many applicants there were, but I know it was a very popular job at the time."
Universally described as competitive, Thompson's coaching style is as intense as her personality, and she can be seen during matches pacing back and forth on the court.
"She paces the whole bench the entire time," 2004 Tufts senior co-captain Emily Macy, who is now an assistant volleyball coach at Connecticut College, said. "Seriously, she probably gets an entire workout; legs, thighs, abs, doing squats; during the game. She can't sit still for two seconds. She's on the move, and she's constantly talking the entire match, too."
Described by Macy as "completely emotionally involved," Thompson does not seem like someone who does things halfway. When interviewed for this story, Thompson was at the end of a 13-hour day, working in her office selecting volleyball players for the all-New England and Senior All-Star awards, as she is in charge of both ballots. She explained cheerfully that this was a typical schedule, especially in the fall, when the peak recruiting season coincides with the stretch-run in volleyball.
"You could say things are busy," she said.
But how does Thompson's work ethic translate onto the court, and how does it register with the players?
"It's all positive - she shows her intensity in positive ways, never yelling and emphasizing what we did wrong but looking at what it is that we have to do better," senior co-captain Courtney Evans said. "We never feel down on ourselves because of her. She really wants us to be close with each other and trusting of each other. I respect her so much."
When pressed about Thompson's game-time pacing, Evans conceded.
"Well, when she gets really mad she throws her clipboard, but I've only seen it happen a couple times."
