Inside the Coaching Mind with Terry Pettit

On December 16, 1995, three seniors—Allison Weston, Billie Winsett, and Christy Johnson—led the University of Nebraska to its first Division I National Championship in Women's Volleyball. The ripples from that accomplishment continue to impact Nebraska volleyball today. Weston won the Honda Broderick Award for the best player in women's college volleyball; Winsett was recognized as the NCAA Woman of the Year for her athletic achievements and community leadership; and Christy Johnson, who didn't start at setter until her junior year, was a two-time All-American who never lost an away match. Weston went on to become captain of the USA Olympic team in the 2000 games in Sydney, Australia. Winsett mentors her daughter, who is one of the top competitive archers in America, and Johnson has been the head coach of Iowa State Volleyball for 21 years. The ripples from what they and their teammates accomplished in 1995 continue to impact Nebraska volleyball today. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When Deb Tyson was recruited to play basketball at Louisburg College in 1974, she had no idea she would also play volleyball. Her head coach, Terry Pettit, had no idea he would coach women's volleyball at the same school, a small junior college in North Carolina. That coincidence changed their professional journeys. Pettit became the head women's volleyball coach at Nebraska, and Deb Tyson became the head volleyball coach at a junior college in Columbus, Nebraska, James Madison University, the University of Virginia, and a decorated high school athletics director in Charlottesville. This is a conversation about her remarkable journey. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kirsten Bernthal-Booth, Val Novak-Warrior and Don Shaw join Terry for a lively conversation about the NCAA DI volleyball Championship and the four teams that will compete for a national championship in Kansas City. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

John Cook led Nebraska Volleyball to four National Championships in a career that included a stadium match that drew 92,003 spectators. John and Terry talk about the vision for Nebraska Volleyball and some of the extraordinary players that made it happen.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kirsten Bernthal Booth led Creighton Volleyball from the hinterland to prominence in the AVCA Coaches Poll as the Jays were ranked in the top 25 for her last 13 seasons. The Jays finished 32- 3 in her final season as a head coach. Creighton defeated Texas, which had won the previous two national championships, in the NCAA Eastern Regional Semifinals. Kirsten was the President of the AVCA until May 2025 and is currently the Director of Business Operations for the Omaha franchise of LOVB. She talks with Terry about why she decided to step down as head coach, watching her daughters play volleyball, and the possibility of returning to coaching. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Billy Glisan is the CEO of Powercore360, an organization that trains high school, collegiate, and professional athletes who want to improve their arm speed, with applications to volleyball, baseball, football, golf, lacrosse, and many other sports. He has worked with major league baseball players, PGA Tour golfers, and collegiate volleyball players at Creighton, Nebraska and Northern Colorado, as well as developing athletes trying to make their high school varsity teams. You can find out more about Billy at www.powercore360.com.Brought to you by Humanex VenturesJoin our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/432406754817459Follow Terry Pettit on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terry.pettit.10More podcasts, books etc: https://terrypettit.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

John Baylor, the play-by-play announcer for the Husker Volleyball team since 1994, joins Terry as they talk about the Husker roster and the players' unique talents as they approach the beginning of the Fall Season. They discuss which players are likely to make major contributions and what the challenges are for the new head coach in determining a starting lineup. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Pat Sullivan was the first Head Coach of the University of Nebraska's women's volleyball team in 1974, 1975, and 1976. She later served as the head women's volleyball coach at George Washington University from 1978 to 1986 and was inducted into the GW Hall of Fame in 1995. Terry and Pat discuss the challenges of transitioning from a club program to a varsity sport at Nebraska, while also teaching courses and serving as the head coach of the women's swimming team. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Doc Widman is a performance psychiatrist and mindset coach who has worked with coaches and teams Nebraska, Creighton and Florida. He has also written a book titled "MAXOUT Mindset: proven strategies that prepare you and your team for battle in business, sport and life." Doc and Terry talk about the process of developing a plan to handle the stress of competition whether you play for the Omaha Supernova's or on a club volleyball team.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brad Black is the President and CEO of Humanex Ventures who has over 35 years of experience in helping businesses, hospitals, school districts, athletic teams and cities build talent-based communities. Brad talks with Terry about Five Box Coaches who like John Cook, Dani Bussboom and several other Nebraska head coaches who fit the teacher-coach-leader model that is not common today. Anyone interested in extraordinary leadership will benefit from this podcast. People who would like more information on the Humanex Summit in Omaha on June 25, 26 can find it at www.humanexventures.com  You can purchase Brad's book "Talent, Culture and Teams: The Ex-Factors of Excellence" at Amazon.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nebraska Volleyball broadcaster John Baylor joins Terry in a lively discussion with Amber Holmquist, Laura Pilakowski, and Greichaly Cepero, who, along with fellow sophomore Lindsay Wishmeier, were members of Coach Pettit's last recruiting class and John Cook's first National Championship.  They talk about the impact of Coach Cook, their trip to China, and how a dreamcatcher symbolized their mindset. Bonus material: John Baylor survives a knife-throwing act at a nightclub in Shanghai, and Amber and Lyndsey cry themselves to sleep after their first night in China. Brought to you by Humanex VenturesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Norah Sis and Kendra Wait were All-American volleyball players for Creighton University. Both earned Big East Player of the Year honors and started all four years for the Blue Jays. They are also both playing for the Pro Volleyball Federation in their first season of professional volleyball. Kendra is a setter for the Omaha Supernovas, and Norah is an outside hitter for the Orlando Valkyries. The two former Blue Jays led Creighton to tie for 5th in the recent NCAA Division I National Championship and a win over the defending National Champion Texas Longhorns in the Mideast Regional semifinals. Both majored in nursing at Creighton and played under head coach Kirsten Booth and associate head coach Angie Oxley. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.