There are some who can learn from words on a page, and there are those who learn by doing.

For sophomore setter Nikki Klingsporn and senior outside hitter Morgan Salow, learning to coach is best done by the latter.

Starting last winter and continuing through the summer, both Salow and Klingsporn coached for Capital Volleyball Academy in Madison. The program, run by Wisconsin volunteer assistant coach Dave Bayer, is in its second year and has 225 players, the most in the area.

Even though the program is only in its second year, it already has had prominent Wisconsin alumni as coaches. Last year, All-American setter Jackie Simpson was an assistant coach and has moved on to the staff of the volleyball team at Winona State this season. Also, former Badger Angie Sanger, who graduated in 2003, coaches the program’s 17 Elite team. Before the season, Bayer offered coaching positions to all the current members of the Wisconsin volleyball team. That’s when Salow and Klingsporn stepped up.

“I think it’s great when our players get out in the community and coach teams,” UW head volleyball coach Pete Waite said. “It’s great because they are role models for the young athletes. It is also good for them to have an eye of a coach on the court when they become players again back on the court for us. You know coaches are on the sidelines just like the fans, and it always seems so easy from the sidelines. But then, you have to be able to verbalize to the athletes how to accomplish something.”

During last year’s club season, Salow was an assistant coach on the club’s 17 Elite and 18 Elite teams. With both squads, she traveled across the nation to different tournaments, finding success in many. At the AAU National Championships in Orlando, Fla., both of her teams finished in the top ten, and at the JVDA Championship in Louisville, Ky., the 17 Elite team finished third.

The success of her teams made the summer a little more easygoing.

“It’s so much fun because the girls have fun, and they love going to practice and love being there,” Salow said. “Also, you have fun. It’s just an all around happy atmosphere. They work hard, they compete and it was an all-around lot of fun.”

For Klingsporn, coaching is in her blood. Her father, Mark, is the head coach of Oakdale Tartan High School in Oakdale, Minn. Both her dad and her mother, who played volleyball at North Dakota State, have helped her become a solid player and now a coach.

“My parents have always coached me. So I took what they taught me and brought it to my team,” Klingsporn said. “I think that has helped a lot because I do want to be a coach when I get older.”

For any club team, there are several advantages of having current, younger players on the team. One, Waite said, is it helps bridge the generational gap between the younger players and the older coaches. He said because the student coaches and the players are so close in age, it makes it easier for them to bond and gives them a mutual respect for each other. 

The student coaches also help the players understand what they are going through and the dedication it takes to make it to the collegiate level.

“Being through it before, they can kind of see into the future in terms of what these girls have to do to prepare to get to the level where they’re at or even go beyond where they are at,” Bayer said. “I think that’s the beauty of having Badger players as coaches. They are actually playing at a level our players are trying to get to.”

Having a good connection with the players also gives potential recruits a positive image of what playing at Wisconsin is really like. Although the players are not there for recruiting purposes, it still helps when possible prospects not only see how the UW program works but gain an understanding what it takes to make it in a major college program. 

“It gives the local players a flavor of what it’s like to be a Badger player because I’m sure they talk about road trips and our coaching staff,” Waite said. “I know their sole purpose is to get into coaching, to get their feet a little wet and see if it is something they want to do in the future.”

Although both players did not do any recruiting while coaching, they still gave the program a good enough name to attract some youngsters. Kelli Kasha and Kirby Toon, whose father is former Wisconsin wide receiver Al Toon, are going to play for the Wisconsin volleyball team next fall. Both Kasha and Toon played on Salow’s team, though she was not the deciding factor for either of the girls to play for the Badgers.

For the players, coaching also has some personal perks. During tournaments, both Salow and Klingsporn had the opportunity to talk to the many coaches who attended the club matches looking for recruits. These connections help them network for future coaching jobs they will be looking for.

In practice, coaching during the off-season gives the players a different perspective of the game. They understand what coaches are going through every day and the tough work they put in to make sure the team runs smoothly.

“Nikki has actually made numerous comments to me from time to time,” Bayer said. “Even last year during the spring, she understands the game better now after coaching and being around other club coaches. She has a much better appreciation for what Pete and (assistant coaches) Colleen (Bayer) and Brian (Heffernan) and myself do for the Badgers day in and day out.”

Also, the coaches have said both Salow and Klingsporn’s understanding of the game has improved. They have begun to notice many of the minute details of the game and the things they can do to make sure their game is perfect.

“Their volleyball IQ and their sports IQ went up. You have to analyze entire situations; you can’t just focus on yourself or one position,” Waite said. “You have to look at everyone around you and how they flow together. Their stats improved and their mindset as a team player.”