Laramie tabs Erin Wedemeyer as next volleyball coach
May 11—A new, but familiar face will be heading the sidelines for Plainsmen volleyball in the fall.
Laramie High announced the hiring of Erin Wedemeyer as the school's next volleyball coach Friday morning, pending approval from the Albany County School District 1 Board of Trustees.
"(Wedemeyer) brings over 15 years of coaching experience, as well as playing experience, at some of the highest levels in the sport," LHS activities director Ronald Wagner said in a news release. "She has been on staff with coach (Jill) Stucky the past couple years, and has been an integral part of the success of the LHS volleyball program since her arrival.
"We are excited to see what Coach Wedemeyer can do for our program as the new head coach."
Over the past two seasons, Wedemeyer has been the Plainsmen's junior-varsity coach and an assistant on varsity. Laramie had a 60-9 record during that span.
While the hire may seem like a no-brainer after a recommendation from Stucky, LHS went through the full hiring process, closing the application on the district's website April 30. Wedemeyer said her interview for the job didn't occur until May 8.
"I know she would really like that position," Stucky told WyoSports in April. "My recommendation would definitely be for Erin. She's been a part of our state championship mentality the last two years, and I think she would seamlessly transition into the role."
In addition to coaching, Wedemeyer teaches math and special education at the school. She also is the mother of Laramie middle blocker and Fresno State commit Michon Sailors.
"Above and beyond (Michon), all of the women I've gotten to coach the last few years truly love playing together," Wedemeyer. "A lot of times in women's sports, that's hard to come by.
"Building that chemistry is a really hard thing. When that comes as natural as it does with this group of women, it made it very easy for me to apply."
LHS did a wonderful job supporting Stucky over her most recent tenure, Wedemeyer said, and she expects the same. She knows there will be people keeping tabs, but she has every intention of keeping the Plainsmen's winning ways going.
"I am going to continue things that Jill put in place and were successful," Wedemeyer said. "But, of course, I'm going to have to add my own flavor to it."
The latter is something she is still figuring out, due to the similarities between herself and Stucky. There isn't much difference between the two when it comes to practice organization and player expectations.
Wedemeyer expects to get a better feel for what should change after hosting more open-gym practices. She also noted that a lot of what Stucky brought to the table isn't broken, and she would like to continue a lot of the same things.
At heart, Wedemeyer is a player's coach. What she teaches in the classroom has taught her to value relationship building.
"I like to joke around," Wedemeyer said. "Jill was the same way. That's something that will continue. During an open-gym practice, some of the girls asked me for permission to play music.
"I did that, and it was a fun experience that they enjoyed. They were lighthearted about everything, but took it serious at the same time, which was good to see."
Wedemeyer played volleyball for the University of Wyoming from 1987-90. The Cowgirls reached the Elite 8 of the NCAA tournament in '88 and the first round of the tournament in '90.
After college, she began her coaching career at Laramie Middle School. Not long after, Wedemeyer took a short hiatus from coaching, but has been active for the past 13 years.
In 2021-22, Wedemeyer had her first high school head coaching job at Dixie High in St. George, Utah. She was on the staff for three years prior to that hire, and had previously only headed various club teams.
"My plan wasn't always to get into coaching," Wedemeyer said. "But it was to stay involved with volleyball in some way. Volleyball has been my life since I was in junior high.
"I encouraged Michon to go out and try other sports. I've never pushed her to play volleyball, but she kept coming back to it."
She feels that her biggest impact on the Plainsmen's roster will come in aiding the mental aspects of the sport. Wedemeyer's goal is to be a calming presence to the team as they naturally want to get down on themselves.
"The mental part of the game is missing from sports, in general," Wedemeyer said. "(A player must) have the ability to make mistakes and be OK with them and put them behind you. If there is a conflict on the team, I'm hoping I can bring a little calm to the kids as they get frustrated.
"We'll keep everything in perspective and try to help everyone move on. We'll become more mature as athletes and young women."
Laramie's success in recent years hasn't flown over Wedemeyer's head. She acknowledged it, but mentioned having to put that behind her for the happiness of the girls.
"I'd be lying if I said (there isn't pressure)," Wedemeyer said. "Even though I've been here a couple years, that pressure is still going to be there. I have to put that on the back burner, because my primary focus is that the girls are happy (and) successful, and that includes outside the scope of volleyball."
Austin Edmonds covers Laramie High, University of Wyoming and community athletics for WyoSports. He can be reached at aedmonds@wyosports.net. Follow him on X at @_austinedmonds.
