Q & A with Duke women's coaches Linda Grensing and Liz Tchou

Chronicle: How well did you know each other back at Iowa, and what kind of relationship did you two have?

Liz: I didn't know you, Linda.

Linda: I knew of Liz's greatness.

Liz: We had a great respect for each other's teams, though, for sure.

Chronicle: When you two both ended up at Duke, did you know about each other?

Linda: Tchou-ey was here before me as an assistant, so when I came here to interview, she introduced herself to me and realized we were both Hawkeyes.

Chronicle: When did your friendship begin?

Linda: Last year when Tchou-ey took the job as head coach is when it all really made an impact. One of the things that's neat about the department here is that the first six months that I was here, Gail Goestenkors did a great job of helping me. And when Tchou-ey came in, she felt really comfortable coming to me in the same capacity and asking me about all of the little things.

Liz: I love to ask everyone questions, and that's one of the great things about Duke is that I feel comfortable asking all the other coaches questions.

Chronicle: You're both trying to take your teams to the next level. Do you see any similarities between what the two of you are trying to do?

Linda: I think so. One of the things Liz and I have talked about before is that we've recapped some of the things we learned at Iowa. Not that this isn't a solid athletic department, it's just different. The men's and women's departments are totally split at Iowa, so it's a very independent athletic department. I went to Final Four as a player and Liz won a national championship, so we also draw from each other's experiences for guidance about how to get the job done now.

Chronicle: Having both replaced successful coaches, did you face a lot of resistance to change from people still involved with the program?

Linda: The program had been so successful with four straight ACC titles. So I come in with my five-year plan and say this is where we need to go and the resources we're going to need and they're looking at me like, 'Why?' So there's a lot of obstacles in that sense, especially since the ACC has changed from night to day in terms of volleyball. The funding in the programs has risen dramatically just in the past four years. The challenge is to convince people that you need to have a plan and go after it if you want to compete.

Liz: My biggest challenge was presenting my positive philosophy to my players after having been an assistant here. Jacki did a great job of recruiting, so I just put in place an atmosphere of learning and fun.

Linda: I think Tchou-ey and I are both replacing coaches who did a tremendous job, especially with the resources they had. Tchou-ey and I are both real different than [our predecessors], but that doesn't mean they weren't good coaches, that just means we're different coaches.

Chronicle: Liz, your program experienced tremendous success in its first year while, Linda, yours struggled more at first. Could you talk about what the differences were for the two of you?

Linda: I walked into five key kids graduating and a group of returnees who hadn't really trained in the spring and a team of only 10 players where ideally you need at least 12. In a way, we were heading into battle with a gunshot wound to the foot. I had to say my kids, 'What can we accomplish with what we have?' so they would have a feeling of accomplishment. They had the pressure of two-straight NCAA Sweet 16s on their shoulders as sophomores and everyone's looking at them like something is wrong. That's a lot of pressure on such young kids. Things that were so significant in terms of holding us back then are entirely insignificant now.

Learning that it was up them to earn the ACC title and carry the load during crunch time, that was where my kids started.

Liz: My kids were really excited, and I was too, coming off playing in the Olympics and starting my first year as a head coach. I think the kids really picked up on that energy the whole year. Being the underdog, we were also able to surprise a lot of teams throughout the year.

My philosophy is that there isn't enough time to deal with complaining and all that crap, so I concentrate on educating my players and emphasizing the positive.

Chronicle: Is it going to be harder to make that next push as a program?

Liz: Everyone has told me that the second year is the most difficult. What I've figured out is that in the second year, all the expectations mount and coaches try and find a way to raise their team. What I'm going to try and do is inject some new ideas into the group, but I'm not going to alter my skeleton philosophy.

Any sport you look at, the team that does the simple things the best and injects a little heart and passion into the games comes away with something.

Chronicle: Linda, your team has been tabbed preseason No. 1 in the ACC. Do you think your team is ready for that kind of pressure?

Linda: I think it's something they've set as a goal for this year. I think it's a very feasible goal for us. The kids have to understand that the struggles they went through two years ago and the ups and downs they went through last year make a difference in how confident they can be now.

We also set smaller goals throughout the season so that it doesn't loom the entire year as an all-encompassing goal.

Chronicle: In the spring, there is plenty of time to blow off steam with each other and joke around. Do you have that kind of time in the fall?

Liz: I come in here to Linda's office every day whether I have the time or not. It's crazy but...

Linda: 'Tchou-ey hungry. Tchou-ey want food now.' That's the most common thing I hear from her.

Liz: You can get so caught up in everything, I think you have to be able to take a deep breath and just relax and remember that you are in it for the kids.

Linda: It really does help to have each other to laugh at and be a tension breaker for.

Chronicle: How did you push yourselves as athletes in college, in sports with little or no professional circuit to play on later? And how do you push your players now?

Liz: As a player, every time I tried out for a different national team, and I got cut six or seven times, I didn't bag it because I knew if I could just improve on what I'd done poorly, the next time out, I'd succeed. With my players, I stress the learning the same way.

Linda: It's not just about their athletic performance you have to look at. The other things that they do with their lives are things you have to learn about and familiarize yourself with. To motivate your players, you really have to understand who they are and what their dreams are.

Chronicle: How important has it been for you to have such a good relationship with another young woman coach of a women's team at the same school?

Linda: It's important because as a coach, there are a lot of times when you need to be stimulated and encouraged. Tchou-ey is a great resource, Gail is a great resource and so is Jacki. They are invaluable to go to when you need advice of all different kinds. We also help each other stay motivated in what we're doing.