This past weekend, Vassar Women’s Volleyball defeated Clarkson University in four sets for the first time since 2007, and achieved another five-set win on Sunday against SUNY Potsdam. As they begin conference play, the Vassar women’s volleyball team is led by a new addition, Coach Tyler Blank.
Blank started playing volleyball as a high school student in Rochester, New York. He continued playing volleyball as a setter at Rivier University in Nashua, New Hampshire. After graduating, Blank started his career in coaching at Nazareth College back in Rochester as an assistant coach for five years until he moved to Manhattanville University. At Manhattanville, located in Purchase, New York, Blank led the men’s and women’s volleyball teams for three seasons before accepting a position here at Vassar College.
In July 2025, Coach Blank joined the Vassar community by accepting a position as the new head coach of women’s volleyball. Being a fall sport, the women’s team came to campus two weeks ahead of the school year to start their pre-season and non-conference games. With a 13-3 record, Coach Blank is currently leading this team into their conference season with the goal of seeing the court at the Liberty League playoffs.
Coach Blank brings an excited and hopeful energy to the team. He applauds the team’s commitment and the success of the team thus far: “I really couldn’t ask for a better start with this group.”
With this new group, Coach Blank emphasizes the importance of building trust and strong relationships with players in their entirety—not just on the court.
Coach Blank works together with his players to identify areas where the unit might improve, especially after tough losses. By approaching results with a growth mindset, Coach Blank is able to keep positive momentum throughout the season. This way, losses that might be perceived as setbacks to a team’s season are seen as learning opportunities. He says, “Winning is awesome, but those matches that we are losing, we’re really showing up and getting good pieces out of that.”
When it comes to values as a coach and a leader, Coach Blank emphasizes trust within the team. By practicing honesty and good communication, Coach Blank is fostering an environment that represents these values. He identifies himself as a point of trust for the team: “What I bring is someone that the team can trust and someone that they can learn from. I try to be an open book and as authentic as possible with the team.” Blank explained that these values are central for a communicative team, and are important to understanding players as holistic people and not just athletes: “I want to create an open environment in practice where we can encourage our student-athletes to thrive and grow as not just athletes but as a part of the Vassar community.” Coach Blank encourages his athletes to practice self-advocacy and confidence to promote an open environment that brings out the best in the whole team. Blank also believes it is important and exciting to get to know players beyond practices: “It’s really fun to be able to enrich their lives through sport, but learning about their lives outside of volleyball is one of my favorite things to do.” This open environment fosters a safe, welcoming and positive culture that keeps the team motivated during a promising upcoming season.
Looking forward, the team has an exciting month leading up to the Liberty League playoffs. The playoff format consists of the top six teams in the league, with the number one overall seed team being the host. After an energetic start to the season, Coach Blank is most excited to see where the team ends up in this year’s conference championship. Vassar women’s volleyball last won the Liberty League championship in 2018 and this year is a great opportunity to seize the title of “Liberty League champs” once again. The team that wins the Liberty League then has an opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament, and the rest of the teams get what Blank explains are “at-large bids” to get a chance to play in the NCAA tournament.
Coach Blank is an exemplary figure for how to lead with encouragement and honesty, and how curating a transparent and open team environment is key to the success of every player. Vassar women’s volleyball has a lot to look forward to this season, and Coach Blank is leading with support and encouragement. To see them in action, stop by this Friday at Kenyon for a “pink-out” game against Ithaca College!