Hanaway family leads O’Hara on other state volleyball run

Source: The Star

ALLISON LONG | THE KANSAS CITY STAR

O’Hara volleyball coach Lori Hanaway (right) and her daughter, Lindsey, begin the state tournament today.

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O’Hara High School volleyball coach Lori Hanaway has seen enough.

During one recent weekday practice, Hanaway calls for a drill in which her girls must serve the ball away from the middle of the court. Sounds simple enough, and it’s certainly an exercise Hanaway has used countless times on the way to six Missouri state championships. But these varsity girls have not put together enough consecutive serves. So after every miss, full-court sprints await.

This has gone on for 18 minutes and, now, Hanaway calls on her top setter. This two-year starter is the only Celtics player who comes home after practice and eats Hanaway’s spaghetti. She often catches herself rolling her eyes at the coach, too. And she’s the only player who calls Hanaway “mom.”

“C’mon Lindsey Hanaway!” the coach yells. “Make your serve!”

Lindsey is used to her mom’s raspy-voiced commands. She’ll definitely hear them today when O’Hara, Blue Springs and Lutheran represent the Kansas City area at the Missouri volleyball state tournament at Municipal Auditorium. The tournament concludes on Saturday.

Since Lori Hanaway left her coaching job at St. Teresa’s and returned to O’Hara in 2007 — Lindsey’s freshman season — mother and daughter have celebrated Missouri state championships together. They’ve also danced that delicate waltz between fiery coach and daughter player.

“It’s a little weird because I tend not to take her so seriously,” said Lindsey, a 16-year-old junior. “I’m like ‘Oh whatever! It’s my Mom.’ But I have to keep telling myself that she’s not my mom right now, she’s the coach.”

Although Lindsey more resembles her father and stands a couple inches taller than Lori, she seems to take after mom.

When Lori was a junior at William Chrisman, she was a first-time varsity setter and her team won a state title. During Lindsey’s sophomore season, her first as the starting setter at O’Hara, the Celtics won their second consecutive state title.

Years ago, Lindsey sat in the bleachers and watched her mom lead O’Hara to state titles in 2002, 2003 and 2005. Last year, Lindsey began to hear the expected comments — that she was only starting because of her last name.

“It still happens now. People still think that I’m not good enough,” Lindsey said. “I want to prove to myself and to my whole team that I’m not just special because I’m the coach’s kid.”

Not only did Lindsey play a huge part in O’Hara’s state championship last season — Lori’s sixth in seven years — but she earned all-state honors, too. Besides, if Lindsey wasn’t good enough to be a setter on a championship team, Lori would be the first one to say so.

“If (Lindsey) is struggling and so is the team, it’s not always hugs and kisses,” Lori said.

Watching the mother-daughter interaction displays why Hanaway is successful. Lori holds nothing back against her oldest daughter — and the same goes for her all-state middle hitters Tori Hurtt and Michala Boehm.

Players and close friends like to call Lori “intense.” When Lori bolts from her sideline chair, her face violet and her voice piercing, she not only knows how to get her players’ attention, but also everyone else’s in the gymnasium.

“(Coach) pushes us to our limits and brings out confidence that we didn’t know we had. She knows what she’s doing,” senior Jordyn Wyatt shared. “She’s amazing, and she believes in you.”

Lori and Lindsey have learned to leave those “intense” practices inside the O’Hara gymnasium. They enjoy shopping. Lindsey trusts her mom’s honest opinion on clothing. And Lori isn’t always so hard on her setter. She’ll frequently send her “I’m so proud of you” text messages.

After college, Lindsey hopes to return to O’Hara as an assistant coach. After all, she wants to be just like mom.

“By far, the benefits and pros outweigh the other side,” Lori said about coaching her daughter. “In a way, it’s impossible not to separate the two. Most of the time, mom and coach line up.”

submitted by CANDACE BUCKNER - 2009-11-05 23:05:02