Emily Sigg is the new head volleyball coach for Iola High School. She’s no stranger to Fillies’ volleyball.
Back in the day she was Emily Larson playing for the Fillies.
“I’m excited about this season. It’s my first head coaching position. We’re going into a new league. The girls are learning a new system,” Sigg said.
Sigg has a new assistant coach in Steven Stockebrand, who was a standout athlete for Yates Center High School about the same time Sigg was at IHS. Jeff Fehr returns to the Fillies’ volleyball staff for a third year as freshman coach.
Although, the three coaches’ contracts weren’t finalized until last Monday by the USD 257 Board of Education, they were working with the IHS players over the summer. Players played in the Fort Scott summer volleyball league.
“Basically, I just had them scrimmage a bit during the summer and watched what each one could do. It gave me an idea of the level of play the girls were at,” Sigg said. “We had a varsity and two junior varsity teams in the summer league at Fort Scott.”
Sigg said the league matches were played every Monday throughout the summer. It allowed older girls to develop leadership skills and the younger girls got plenty of court time, she said.
Sigg played four years of Fillies’ volleyball under coaches Dan Berg and Deena Powelson. She was on the only IHS volleyball team to reach a state tournament with Berg as head coach.
“I still have the desire to play and being a coach is the next best thing. I’m young enough to relate to the girls plus I can demonstrate the skills. I’m old enough that the girls see me as a head coach,” Sigg said.
Sigg said she has been using IHS girls’ basketball coach Becky Carlson as a mentor. Sigg was the freshman basketball coach under Carlson last year.
“Coach Carlson has been really helpful. We’re building a program here, not just a team for this year. I want my program built similar to Coach Carlson’s basketball program,” Sigg said.
Sigg played for Carlson as a senior basketball player at Iola. The 2005-2006 Fillies’ basketball team captured the 2006 Kansas Class 4A State Basketball championship. Sigg went on to play basketball for Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, where the Lady Cavaliers won two NJCAA Region VI, Division II championships, a 2008 NJCAA Division II District championship and placed fifth in the NJCAA Division II national tournament.
Sigg transferred to Kansas State University in Manhattan, where she graduated in 2011 with a fine arts degree. She and her husband Austin Sigg, an Iola High graduate, made their home in Iola.
“We grew up here and our families are here. We loved Iola and wanted to raise a family in our hometown,” Sigg said. Sigg gave birth daughter Elliot on June 24. Austin is still in school at K-State in online classes in food science. He is a full-time employee at the Kansas National Guard Armory in Iola.
“Since practices began, we’ve stressed fundamentals. A lot of the girls have played a lot of club volleyball and come in with good teamwork skills. Jeff has really been helpful with evaluating the players. He’s been here and worked with the girls the past few years and is really good with the freshmen,” Sigg said.
