MADISON, Wis. — Renovations were underway in the UW Field House to modernize and enhance space for Wisconsin’s volleyball team when an unforeseen hiccup occurred that would have gone unnoticed by construction workers if not for assistant coach Gary White. As Badgers staffers viewed the initial layout for the team film room a decade ago, White realized the location of the coaches’ desk in the back right corner would not work for head coach Kelly Sheffield.

What White knew that builders didn’t was that Sheffield had Meniere’s disease, a disorder of the inner ear that meant Sheffield could not hear out of his left ear. And if Sheffield was going to run film sessions, he needed to sit in the back left corner instead so he could hear players out of his right ear. Construction plans were quickly changed accordingly.

“It’s sort of just automatic now that we will shuffle people to Kelly’s right side,” Wisconsin director of volleyball operations Jessica Williams said. “Or I will position myself on his left when I know he needs to talk to someone on the right because I’ll give them the priority side, if you will.”

It is just one example of the ways in which Sheffield’s staff have played an integral role on and off the court in helping to build a volleyball powerhouse at Wisconsin.

Sheffield, a three-time Big Ten coach of the year with five conference regular season titles and a national championship, is the one whose name is attached to an astounding .825 winning percentage during 12 seasons in Madison. But that success also is the product of having a support system in place that allows Sheffield to thrive while delegating responsibilities to trusted confidants on staff who have an innate understanding of what Sheffield needs.

“They work their asses off for other people,” Sheffield said. “So they’re not working for themselves. They’re working for the program, they’re working for me, they’re working for the players. They’re incredible learners. Everybody around us, whether it’s strength training, whether it’s the health people, everybody is curious. That’s a really important quality to hire.

“When you make a jump, I think sometimes people are like, ‘Wait a minute, how’d that happen?’ We’re doing it the right way here. If we weren’t, you’d see all kinds of players transferring. You’d see staff members that were bolting. But it comes down to really good people that are treating people the right way and having a hell of a lot of fun doing it.”

Sheffield’s staff has undergone some atypical tweaks this offseason, but there is plenty of familiarity across the board. Associate head coach Brittany Dildine, the Badgers’ recruiting coordinator, has worked with Sheffield since 2009 when the two were at Dayton. Dildine was named the 2021 American Volleyball Coaches Association national assistant coach of the year.

White, like Dildine, has been with Sheffield since their days together at Dayton, where he was a volunteer assistant coach for two seasons. White was elevated this offseason from associate head coach to director of player personnel and analytics. Annemarie Hickey, a former Badgers player and longtime staffer under Sheffield, accepted a job this offseason with a professional volleyball team in Madison, which meant Sheffield filled two assistant coach openings to account for White and Hickey.

Those hires were Lauren Carlini, who served as an offensive analyst and strategy consultant last season, and John Shondell, who spent 19 seasons at Purdue as an assistant coach. Carlini was a four-time All-American for Sheffield at Wisconsin and helped the United States earn a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Sheffield and Shondell graduated together from Muncie (Ind.) Burris, and Sheffield was an assistant coach for Shondell in the early 1990s at New Castle High School. Shondell also coached Dildine when she played at Purdue.

In other words, the expectation is that Wisconsin’s coaching staff will once again mesh seamlessly while performing at a high level.

“Kelly provides an amazing vision for each of us,” White said. “He’s really good at articulating what he envisions is possible, here and with our group. I think what he has found is surround yourself with people that are really engaged into wanting to buy into that vision and be a part of it. And then find great people that are willing to put in the work that this program values and appreciates.”

The level of institutional knowledge to support Sheffield extends beyond the court. Williams played for Sheffield for one season at Dayton in 2010 and followed Sheffield to Wisconsin as director of operations. She has held that role for all but two seasons at Wisconsin since then. Athletic trainer Kristy Walker has been at Wisconsin during Sheffield’s entire tenure, while strength and conditioning coach Kevin Schultz and director of meditation training Chad McGehee have also been on staff for multiple years.

“What that means is our players are hearing the same message from everyone,” Sheffield said. “It’s not a different message from different people. So then trust happens and you’re more willing to be more vulnerable and go to places. So that is really important. You’re not wasting time training people.”

From left to right: Gary White, Jessica Williams, Annemarie Hickey and Brittany Dildine celebrating the 2021 Big Ten title. (Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Athletics)

Sheffield said he doesn’t seek a bunch of people that share his personality or who will constantly say yes to him. He enjoys being challenged, swapping ideas and working to find advantages for his program. He looks for character and a willingness to learn when he evaluates potential staff candidates. Dildine and White are prime examples. Dildine had spent one season as a volunteer assistant at Purdue when she interviewed with Sheffield in 2009 for a vacant assistant coaching job at Dayton.

Sheffield said 66 people applied for the opening. He made phone calls to 12 people that lasted between 90 minutes and two hours. He brought three people in to interview, all three of whom previously played volleyball at Purdue.

Dildine said she thought she bombed the interview. She already had accepted a part-time job at Indiana State that was likely to become a full-time position. Dildine left her interview with Sheffield crying because she was concerned about going back on her word with Indiana State, even if Dayton provided her with a better opportunity. But Dildine stood out because Sheffield saw her hunger and selflessness. She has since become one of the most respected assistant coaches in the country.

White was a system engineer for Lockheed Martin, a defense and aerospace manufacturer, and also had a passion for volleyball, which he played in high school and in college. He was working in Washington D.C. and coaching club volleyball as an assistant for a 16U team, when Sheffield went to visit because he was interested in recruiting two players.

While Sheffield talked to the head coach, he noticed the way White handled practices and how he taught concepts and created competition. He suggested White work a summer camp at Dayton if he was ever interested. White did so for two summers and decided to pursue the sport full-time.

“I asked him if he wanted to get into college coaching,” Sheffield said. “And he’s like, ‘Yeah, but I’m making a lot of money doing this other thing.’ He came back a little bit later and said, ‘You know, what would you do if you were me?’ I said, ‘Well, does money matter to you?’ And he goes, ‘Not really.’ And I go, ‘Good, because it never mattered to me. I never made decisions based off that. I just wanted to learn.'”

White was a volunteer assistant at Dayton in 2011 and 2012 and earned a full-time assistant job on staff at Wisconsin. Sheffield said he interviewed three other people before realizing White was better than those candidates.

Wisconsin middle blocker Carter Booth said Dildine and White possess different skill sets that help to serve as a balance for players.

“They’re very cognizant of the fact that some people respond to different kinds of coaching differently,” Booth said. “Britt is able to really connect with those people who do play by feeling and by touch, emotionally connecting and energetically connecting with people. She can really tap into that.

“I would say Gary is our Spencer Reid. Spencer Reid is a super genius from Criminal Minds. That’s one of my favorite shows. He’s very much like numbers, stats, this is what this middle who plays for this Chinese team does. This is what this middle who plays for this Italian team does. Anything you ask him, he can break it down into numbers, like ones and zeros. I’m very much a ones and zeros, numbers, analytics type of player. They’ve been a great combination.”

Dildine said one aspect Sheffield does well is his ability to empower his coaching staff. She shared a story about her early relationship with Badgers outside hitter Sarah Franklin after she transferred from Michigan State in 2022. Dildine said she expressed concerns to Sheffield about how receptive Franklin was to her coaching. Dildine told Sheffield she thought Franklin would respond better to feedback from the head coach. To which Sheffield simply replied: “Nah. You got this.” Dildine ultimately developed a strong relationship with Franklin, who became the 2023 national player of the year, and said the two are “bonded for life.”

“There’s fair and honest communication that is always about improving our craft in coaching and mastering our craft,” Dildine said. “None of us feel like we have arrived as coaches. And I think anybody that is trying to master a craft understands that there are no little things within that craft. That’s how we operate.”

Wisconsin’s annual Red and White scrimmage takes place Saturday, followed by an exhibition Sunday against Notre Dame and the season opener Aug. 29 in the Opening Spike Classic against Kansas at the Kohl Center.

(Top photo courtesy of Wisconsin Athletics)