New volleyball coach. Our own Houk

[AFCAT]

https://twitter.com/MSUBobcats/status/1 ... 7644938241

[DMMDCats]

Welcome Coach Houk.

Look forward to the next season.



Just a note for the MSU folks, not everyone uses twitter. Especially now.

Maybe try other platforms for notification.

Like BN???

Just a thought.

Tired of having to give mask traffic, but, ya, it don’t matter…

[bpcats20]

General question for those that know the program is this a good hire?

What do the players think?

Felt like we were building momentum over last few years.

.500 record at South Dakota? Hope we have better results

[imacat]

General question for those that know the program is this a good hire?

What do the players think?

Felt like we were building momentum over last few years.

.500 record at South Dakota? Hope we have better results

These endorsements at the end of the article are very encouraging. Welcome to Montana State Coach Houk!!

What they're saying about Matt Houk:

Hugh McCutcheon – Assistant AD/Sport Development Coach
University of Minnesota
Head Coach at Minnesota 2012-22; 2018 AVCA Coach of the Year; 2012 USA Women's Olympic Coach (Silver-London)

"This is a great hire. Matt is an exceptional teacher and coach - and he knows how to build a culture of sustainable success. It's an exciting time for Bobcat Volleyball!"

Jen Flynn Oldenburg – Head Volleyball Coach
Ohio State University

"Congrats to Montana State with the hiring of Matt Houk! Matt brings a wealth of knowledge and competitive spirit that will translate well into the Big Sky Conference. I've gotten to know Matt as a coach across the net as well as a colleague during one of our Big Ten Diversity Mentoring programs. There is no question that he will put the welfare of the student-athletes first and foremost while teaching and competing at a high level. I wish him and his family the absolute best with this new endeavor."

Katie Schumacher-Cawley – Head Volleyball Coach
Penn State University

"I am thrilled for Matt, Jen, and their family as they take on this new challenge. I have known Matt since the beginning of my coaching career as we both coached in the Horizon League. Matt has always made a positive impact on the sport and the people around him. I am confident that Matt will be exceptional at Montana State."

Rob Neilson – Head Volleyball Coach
Utah State University

"Matt is a coach I have greatly admired over the last decade, as we met at the beginning of his time on the Minnesota staff with Hugh McCutcheon (one of my mentors and coaching heroes). Matt has been an integral part of their success these past nine seasons. His knowledge of the game and intelligence make him a great teacher, his integrity and thoughtfulness make him a great mentor, and his compassion, vision and humility make him a great leader. The student-athletes at Montana State and the community of Bozeman will love the Houks!"

Leanne Williamson – Head Volleyball Coach
University of South Dakota

"I am so excited for Matt. Matt is great at forming relationships while helping develop student-athletes in each area of their lives. I am confident that Montana State will thrive under his leadership, and the student athletes will have a great experience!"

[tetoncat]

Looks like good hire. Big 10 has been the dominant conference. Also has good connections that might help with scheduling to co ti ue to improve team and recruiting connections

[CodyCat]

Welcome Coach Houk.

Look forward to the next season.



Just a note for the MSU folks, not everyone uses twitter. Especially now.

Maybe try other platforms for notification.

Like BN???

Just a thought.

Tired of having to give mask traffic, but, ya, it don’t matter…

It was on Facebook and Instragram too. Will likely hit all the news outlets very soon. No reason MSU needs to post new to BN directly when social media will take care of spreading the word.

[AFCAT]

I’m sure MSU had some players on the hiring committee, so they got who they wanted. I don’t put much stock in what other coaches or people have to say about Houk though. Of course they are going to have nice things to say on a hiring notice.

[BelgradeBobcat]

A coach at MSU named Houk (sounds like Hauck?). That's gonna take some getting used to.

[MSU01]

Well, one thing that's certainly true here is that Coach Houk comes to MSU with a lot more experience than any head volleyball coach they've had since Dave Gantt left 20 years ago. I wouldn't put too much stock in the head coaching record at South Dakota since he left there a decade ago and his time there coincided with their move up from D-2 to D-1. It's also interesting to note that his wife was also an assistant and recruiting coordinator for Minnesota and will presumably be coming along to MSU as well, as she's no longer listed on Minnesota's staff.

[Bobcat4Ever]

Well, one thing that's certainly true here is that Coach Houk comes to MSU with a lot more experience than any head volleyball coach they've had since Dave Gantt left 20 years ago. I wouldn't put too much stock in the head coaching record at South Dakota since he left there a decade ago and his time there coincided with their move up from D-2 to D-1. It's also interesting to note that his wife was also an assistant and recruiting coordinator for Minnesota and will presumably be coming along to MSU as well, as she's no longer listed on Minnesota's staff.

I agree. All the coaches have lacked experience, some woefully so. A mid-major D-I head coach position shouldn’t be an entry level job. We’ve missed Dave’s connections as well, and it sounds like our Houk is really plugged in, at least in the Midwest where a lot of really good volleyball is played. Could it be that after what, nearly 20 years, MSU might gain some stability?

[Hawks86]

[Bobcat4Ever]

Good luck, Coach! And players — I think there is a lot of individual talent there. Let’s see if they can become a team. I’d like very much to see VB join T&F, WBB, MBB and football in their level of success. There is absolutely no reason not to.

[MSU01]

Watched the introductory press conference this morning and was very impressed. Since he's coming from a very good job as an assistant with one of the better VB programs in the entire country, it seems like this may have been a case of him picking MSU just as much as a case of MSU picking him. You get the impression that he wasn't just interested in any head coaching job he could get.

[imacat]

Taylor Els is staying on the staff.

https://406mtsports.com/college/big-sky ... e310e.html

[kennethnoisewater]

I saw Houk's wife is coming on as the Associate Head Coach. I'm not sure how I feel about a husband/wife team, but that's probably because I can't recall ever seeing it before. If they're both qualified, I can't see a real reason not to do it. Just hope they get along haha.

[MSU01]

I saw Houk's wife is coming on as the Associate Head Coach. I'm not sure how I feel about a husband/wife team, but that's probably because I can't recall ever seeing it before. If they're both qualified, I can't see a real reason not to do it. Just hope they get along haha.

EWU women's basketball has this, although the wife is the head coach and her husband is the assistant. Based on qualifications only you really can't argue with it, not many Big 12 assistants would leave for a Big Sky assistant job.

[kennethnoisewater]

I saw Houk's wife is coming on as the Associate Head Coach. I'm not sure how I feel about a husband/wife team, but that's probably because I can't recall ever seeing it before. If they're both qualified, I can't see a real reason not to do it. Just hope they get along haha.

EWU women's basketball has this, although the wife is the head coach and her husband is the assistant. Based on qualifications only you really can't argue with it, not many Big 12 assistants would leave for a Big Sky assistant job.

Yep, and I'm sure that was carefully considered. I'm all for it, it just seems like a unique scenario.

[BobcatDel]

I saw Houk's wife is coming on as the Associate Head Coach. I'm not sure how I feel about a husband/wife team, but that's probably because I can't recall ever seeing it before. If they're both qualified, I can't see a real reason not to do it. Just hope they get along haha.

EWU women's basketball has this, although the wife is the head coach and her husband is the assistant. Based on qualifications only you really can't argue with it, not many Big 12 assistants would leave for a Big Sky assistant job.

Yep, and I'm sure that was carefully considered. I'm all for it, it just seems like a unique scenario.

All of these family situations have to be considered carefully and like you, I am for it if managed properly. It’d be interesting to understand how the family dynamics works behind the scenes. When I was working in industry we had multiple spousal teams but one spouse could never supervise the other spouse or even be in the same department mainly for performance rating and salary administration reasons….so these spousal coaching situations are unique from my personal background.

We will likely soon have a husband and wife team coaching at MSU in another sport but both will be assistants. Then I am reminded in football I have seen father-son situations on multiple occasions and several brother-brother scenarios so it’s not like we haven’t had family coaching teams before….so why not husband wife?

I just know if my bride was the head coach and I was the assistant and I blurted out at the breakfast table next morning that the late substitution was a bad move and maybe one of the dumber moves I saw her make as a coach……well….. I better duck the “flying grits” or whatever she could grab for “incoming”!! Just kidding….

[Joe Bobcat]

PSU women's basketball has husband and wife coaches with head coach Chelsey Gregg and associate head coach Keithan Gregg.

[tetoncat]

PSU women's basketball has husband and wife coaches with head coach Chelsey Gregg and associate head coach Keithan Gregg.

Is he originally from Cut Bank