Leopards host first home match at 5 p.m. Tuesday, a scrimmage against Texas Wesleyan
Temple College’s Women’s Volleyball Team is opening the 2022-23 season this week with new head coach Rachel Melancon.
The Leopards’ first home match is a scrimmage against Texas Wesleyan at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Temple College Gym. They won their first match of the season Saturday, going 5-0 against Dallas College Eastfield.
Melancon, a Central Texas native, taught and coached track and volleyball at her alma mater Troy High School from 2014-2021. As Troy’s head volleyball coach, she collected 174 wins and grew the program from an average 13 wins per season to an average of 32 during her tenure. Over the past year, Melancon served as coach at Waco Athletic Club, where she also worked as a private coach and organized clinics for athletes ranging in age from college to elementary.
“We are truly excited to have Rachel Melancon join us as the new head volleyball coach here at Temple College as we enter the 2022-2023 school year,” said Craig McMurtry, Temple College’s Athletic Director. “She had a very successful period as the head volleyball coach at Troy High School over a seven-year span, where she logged 174 victories, including a run to the state semi-finals in 2018 and regional quarter finals in 2019. Rachel brings a lot of passion for the game and for her athletes to succeed – not only on the court but in the classroom and in life. With a large group of returners that made it to the championship game of the conference tournament last fall and a talented group of freshmen, there are high expectations for TC volleyball this year.”
Melancon said she was ready for the move to the junior college level, and based on her first interactions with the team, she sees great potential for the season.
“I’m excited for a new opportunity and the ability to share my knowledge and strategy at a higher level,” Melancon said. “After meeting the girls, I’m even more excited. Not only are they athletically gifted, their hearts are pure and they are eager to grow and become better athletes in the game of volleyball.
“The team is gifted physically – we saw that last season. But with learning more game strategy and practice of how to control the ball better than their opponent, they should be even better. In the last two weeks, that has been our focus and they have learned quickly and been able to implement these practices during our scrimmage against Dallas College Eastfield on Saturday. I find that promising, and that leads me to believe we will have an amazing season ahead of us.”
Melancon earned her bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports studies Tarleton State University. She served as an assistant coach at Alvarado High School, where she helped rebuild the volleyball and track programs.
The Leopards host their first home regular season match against Wharton County Junior College at 6 p.m. Aug. 24.
Visit the team’s website for the full team schedule and player roster.