Coach Mika Robinson

This past weekend I was honored to be asked to speak at a symposium aimed at helping girls grow their leadership and communication skills. I was interviewed on stage by a 14 year old and blown away by the professionalism that she and her teammates all displayed in the ex*****on of the symposium.

I was also fortunate to stay to listen to two current club coaches and former college athletes speak on their lessons learned as college athletes. Both women were articulate, confident and inspirational in what they shared.

I walked away remembering just how powerful sports are in developing the leaders that this world needs. While the landscape of college athletics continues to change, there is one constant that never does…the work we do is so much greater than volleyball, and the ripples will be felt for years and generations to come!

Coaches, keep leading and pouring into the next generation of leaders! Parents and administrators, keep investing in this vehicle that makes this growth happen! Our world needs them now more than ever!

One of my favorite traditions…breakfast with our seniors the week of graduation!

There’s just nothing sweeter than spending time with these women right before they launch from Rollins! As they always hear me say, they can’t ever get rid of me, but I certainly won’t get the privilege of seeing them daily anymore!

We are all smiles here, but the feelings are definitely bittersweet! So incredibly proud of the women they have grown into and excited for all that they will accomplish in the future but already feeling the void of their absence!

These are the moments that remind me why I coach! So thankful to be called Coach by these amazing women!

Fiat Lux Tars! Love you!

It’s been a good week…full of family, friends, faith, and purpose! It doesn’t get any better than that!

Wait, there’s a bonus: a day that is beautiful enough for Fox Day, and we still get to compete the next two days! Let’s go!!!

Today was the first day of our spring season, and I couldn’t stop smiling all day! Here’s why…

1) Every single player was excited to be back in the gym together…from cheering each other on in the weight room first thing this morning to laughing and encouraging each other in the tough defensive drills we challenged them with today, their attitudes were contagious.

2) We saw tangible growth on day one but even more importantly carry over from their fall training.

3) They are genuinely great humans who just make me smile being around them!

Looking forward to the growth journey that they are embarking on in 2026! It’s gonna be a good year! 😉

Bigger than a game.

Coaching has been… a job, a calling, a lifestyle, an obsession, a purpose, a burden, a gift, and a blessing.

At different points in my career—and honestly, on any given day—it’s been all of these things. If you’re a coach (or love someone who is), you get it. If not, it’s hard to really understand what this life demands.

Wrapping up year 28 as a coach and year 18 as a college head coach, I’ve been reflecting on what truly matters:

1️⃣ Culture built on love and real relationships isn’t just more fulfilling—it can change lives. That’s the good stuff.

2️⃣ Most people will never fully grasp what happens inside the circle of a team. And that’s okay.

3️⃣ The small moments—the breakthroughs, the laughs, the quiet conversations—ALWAYS outweigh the wins, losses, trophies, or disappointments.

4️⃣ And yes… there are days I question my sanity for doing this for so long. But then comes one lightbulb moment, one genuine “thank you,” one life changed—and suddenly every sacrifice feels worth it.

Here’s to Year 29. Still learning. Still loving it. Still all in.

Here’s to all of the coaches out there trying to make a positive impact on those you lead!

Fall…Volleyball Season…Survival Season for my family for the last 28 years…Joy, triumph, trials, growth, life lessons, 15 hour days…100% worth it for these moments…getting to celebrate amazing life milestones with women who make me incredibly proud every day, snagging breakfast with other former players while in their cities, and such sweet reminders of how grateful I am to do what I do every day!

Thankful our schedule allowed for two quick turnaround trips to celebrate my people this fall and excited to hit the ground running again this week with an incredible group who are in the midst of building these kind of bonds!

“So do you have another job besides coaching?”

That is always my favorite question when someone finds out that I am a college coach. How do you answer in a way that doesn’t make them feel silly for asking? How do you summarize that this is what just one week in season looks like (not to mention off season recruiting weeks)?

Sunday - Red eye flight back from tournament where your team faced 4 top 50 teams, gave them an opportunity to see a national park and check off a few other bucket list opportunities all while communicating with parents back home, making sure they were staying up on their homework, managing their dietary and health needs, etc.

Monday - “OFF” day spent getting a little sleep then starting scouting for the four upcoming matches this weekend, answering multiple texts and calls from players about various challenges, setting up individual meeting times and extra rep times for those who need them, trying to get a small handle on the massive amount of recruit emails that have come in this week. Should have done some laundry, but that just didn’t happen.

Tuesday - started the day at 8am making phone calls to finalize some travel plans for the weekend then had meetings and/or practices almost nonstop from 9:30am until 7:00pm with only a 30 minute break from 4:00-4:30. Helped no fewer than four players through some emotions and challenges in between meetings and communicated with three others about health concerns and somehow managed to find time to plan a practice that ended up being a huge success.

…we are only at the end of Tuesday, but you get the idea. So, if you have a coach in your life, let them know you appreciate them, give them some grace, and know that they are doing their absolute best to make this season the best one yet for everyone involved!

Don’t get me wrong…I think this is the best “job” in the world, I am incredibly blessed with a team and staff that show me appreciation constantly, and I can’t imagine spending my life doing anything else. But I know there are a lot of coaches out there that don’t feel seen or appreciated. This post is for you! I see you!

In less than 24 hours, our 2025 team will gather for the first time. I am overwhelmed with gratitude this evening in the midst of the craziness of preparation. Gratitude for…

-living out a calling (aka a job) that lets me be a part of the lives of incredible young women like .lopez_ who 5 years ago was a little libero who showed up at our clinic who turned into a 3 year starting libero and captain for us and will now give me the biggest blessing by being back on the sideline with us this fall as a coach - enjoy the trip down memory lane in these photos. There truly is no bigger blessing to a coach than when a graduating or former player wants to pour into the next generation of players alongside you.

-a team of women and their families who are all in for pursuing excellence with love, grace, and humility.

-a staff who gets it far beyond their years and are going to make me a better coach while also lightening my load.

-the true joy that the relationships that this sport has brought me for so many years.

-the anticipation of the freshness of a new season.

Year 10 as a Tar! Let’s do this!

Finally, releasing the first of these courses to help coaches (or really any type of team leader) create a team that they ENJOY coaching or leading!

Check it out, pass it on to anyone who might be able to use it, and let me know what you think!

Creating a Team Culture of Personal and Peer-to-Peer Accountability Getting teams to hold each other accountable to standards can be one of the most challenging things about creating a championship-level team. In this course, you will learn step-by-step how to create a team culture of personal and peer-to-peer accountability. You will also gain access to tools that....

One of my favorite traditions…breakfast with our seniors the week of graduation (we had two this year since we had two graduate in December)!

Like today, we usually hit our favorite recruiting visit breakfast spot for a bit of a full circle moment, and there’s just nothing sweeter than spending time with these women right before they launch from Rollins! As they always hear me say, they can’t ever get rid of me, but I certainly won’t get the privilege of seeing them daily anymore!

We had a few laughs over what they had to endure (all my doing of course), reflected on how they’ve grown, talked about their futures, but, most importantly, just enjoyed each other’s company!

These are the moments that remind me why I coach! So thankful to be called Coach by these amazing women (and their other 2 classmates) and can’t wait to see all that they will accomplish!

Fiat Lux Tars! Love you!