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Apr 12, 2024

UNK coach has a family full of volleyball players

UNK coach Rick Squiers is the head of a volleyball dynasty of his own. He and wife Kim have six children, including five girls who played high school volleyball. Three played in college, and a fourth

UNK coach Rick Squiers is the head of a volleyball dynasty of his own.

He and wife Kim have six children, including five girls who played high school volleyball. Three played in college, and a fourth is planning to after graduating this year from Kearney Catholic.

UNK is playing Wayne State in the first match of Volleyball Day in Nebraska Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. A match between Omaha and Nebraska will follow.

“We are honored to be included in an historical event like this and can’t wait to take in all the festivities," Squiers said. "At the same time, we are curious and even somewhat anxious about the prospect of managing the elements and unknowns of playing outside while competing against an opponent the caliber of Wayne State. Hoping for a great volleyball experience.”

He expects all of his daughters to be in Lincoln except for Becky, who lives in Minnesota. She will livestream the match from home.

The Squiers also have a son, David. He played football at UNK and is now a teacher, athletic director and coach at Loomis.

“He cannot play volleyball despite what he says,” Squiers said.

There's no doubt about the expertise of Squiers' daughters, however.

Oldest daughter Jordan, a setter who played for her father, officiates high school matches and still plays “old-lady ball,” in Kearney, her dad said. Becky, a hitter, played college basketball at Rockhurst and is now officiating and coaching club volleyball in Minnesota.

Madison was an All-America setter at Bellevue before finishing an All-America career at UNK. She’s on her dad’s staff and is club director for Nebraska Pride VBC. Anna was an All-America middle at UNK and is now attending occupational therapy school at UNMC.

Rick Squiers with daughters Anna, left, and Madison.

Callie is a senior setter at Kearney Catholic, where she plays several sports just like her siblings. Her college decision is coming soon.

Despite his coaching duties, Squiers said he found a way to see as many matches as possible. He might leave practice early or rearrange the schedule a bit.

Wife Kim would have an iPad at UNK matches so he could catch parts of his daughters' contests. He was their club coach, so he saw all of those matches.

Volleyball was a natural for his family, Squiers said, because of his job and from living in Nebraska, where the sport is so popular. The girls started playing at 8 to 10 years old.

“We encouraged them to play all sports and tried to let them have fun with it but also learn the game and fundamentals correctly,” Rick Squiers said. “It’s been a great journey, and we have been blessed to be a part of so many great teams and programs.”

[email protected], 402-444-1034, twitter.com/mduceyowh

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Playing in front of thousands at Memorial Stadium will be something the players and coaches of two top D-II programs will never forget.