AVCA names NPCC’s Coach Thalken 2009 Two-Year College
Women’s Volleyball West Region Coach of the Year
1/28/10
North Platte…………Immediate………..North Platte Community
College Volleyball Coach Sally Thalken was recently named 2009 Two-Year College
Women’s Volleyball West Region Coach of the Year by the American Volleyball
Coaches Association (AVCA).
“Sally
Thalken continued her success at North Platte Community College, guiding her
team to a 30-15 record for the 2009 season,” the AVAC stated. “In her 29th year
coaching the Lady Knights, the team not only finished as the 2009 Region IX
Division II champions but also finished in ninth place at the NJCAA Division II
National tournament. At the conclusion of the season, Thalken had improved her
overall record to 810-528. This is the first time Thalken has been named AVCA
Two-Year College West Region Coach of the Year.”
“The AVCA does a lot of things for their members and one of
those things is to honor coaches and players each year,” Thalken said. “I’ve
been nominated for this honor before, but have never been selected. To be one of
only eight coaches to receive this award is humbling, but it truly is an honor
to know you have the respect of your colleagues in the coaching community.”
Although
Thalken is exceedingly modest about her accomplishments, her success as a coach
cannot be denied. Her teams qualified for the National Junior College Athletic
Association’s (NJCAA) National Tournament in 1984, 2004, 2007; she has been
named Region IX, Division II “Coach of the Year” numerous times; and she was
inducted into the NJCAA Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2003. In October 2009,
Thalken joined an elite group of coaches who have achieved the 800th win
milestone.