On Campus: PR grad Sondra Parys becomes head volleyball coach at Northern Illinois

Gift ideas for her parents were easy to figure out this year for new Northern Illinois head volleyball coach Sondra Parys.

“I was going to surprise them at Christmas because they would just love some NIU volleyball gear,” she said.

Her holiday plan hit one major snag, though.

Red and black gear is a staple for her father, Joe Parys, who played basketball at NIU, and her mother, Lori, who was a Huskies cheerleader.

“NIU stuff is all around the house,” joked Sondra Parys, a 2009 Prairie Ridge High School graduate. “I’m sure they’re digging for more of it right now.”

Her familiarity with NIU and the Mid-American Conference, along with helping Loyola University Chicago to five consecutive winning seasons and a 95-53 record as an assistant coach over that time, made Parys a strong hire for the Huskies.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” she said. “It’s been surreal. It’s been exciting. It’s a lot of emotions.”

The fit was a welcome one for Parys.

“An opportunity like this just made the most sense for what I was looking for in my life – location, conference, the ability to be successful, having people that support me,” she said. “Being from Crystal Lake, I grew up hearing about Northern Illinois. I played in the MAC (at Toledo), so I have a strong understanding of that conference.”

Getting down to work

With her first day on the job set for Jan. 4, Parys said she is focused on hiring assistant coaches and connecting with her players over the holidays.

“I have to hire a staff and make sure they balance me, from a personality standpoint to a volleyball standpoint,” she said.

At Loyola, her duties focused on recruiting, scouting, team travel and serving as the program’s academic and mental health liaison.

Being involved in all aspects of Loyola’s program and growing the team from a 5-23 squad before her tenure under head coach Amanda Berkley to 25 wins, an Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament title and an NCAA berth this fall made Parys an attractive head coaching candidate.

“Over the last two to three years, after every season, I’ve had a few opportunities come my way that just weren’t the right one,” said Parys, who is 31. “I had a short list of what kind of opportunity I would leave Loyola for, and this one felt like the right one.”

How did Parys know it was right? Friends and colleagues kept telling her it was time.

“Sometimes it’s hard to look outside ourselves because you think, ‘I’m doing so well here,’” said Parys, who in 2019 was among the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s Thirty Under 30 Award honorees, recognizing up-and-coming professionals in the game. “I’ve been getting calls and hearing from other people, ‘You’re ready. You’d make an amazing head coach.’”

Rough waters paved a path

Parys’ four-year playing career at Toledo provided plenty of ups and downs.

She made the MAC’s All-Freshmen team in 2009 and led the team in kills as a junior. Injuries and illness limited her to only six starts as a sophomore.

“My experience was not smooth sailing,” Parys said. “I faced a lot of adversity. The highs and lows of my college career are really what impacted me to be the coach I am today.”

Those trials and tribulations are beneficial in dealing with today’s players.

“Being able to relate to them is huge,” she said. “My playing career wasn’t that long ago. I can meet them where they are. I do my best to understand how they’re feeling.”

During the interview process at NIU, meeting current players, including fellow Prairie Ridge grad Sammi Lockwood, was a highlight for Parys.

“I felt that connection immediately,” she said. “The one thing that stuck out is how eager they were, not just for me to be their head coach, but also for change. That made the yes to accept (the job) that much easier when you see a group of young women and they want you to be their leader.”

Mentors through her career

Along with working for Berkley and playing for head coach Greg Smith at Toledo, Parys said she learned plenty while playing for longtime Prairie Ridge coach Stefanie Otto.

“When you’re that age and you’re playing under someone who is a strong female leader, it sticks with you long term,” Parys said. “You don’t know a lot at that age.”

Otto identified Parys’ potential early on and helped encourage her players to be well-rounded and become leaders.

“She instilled a lot of leadership qualities and things that I see now in myself as a coach,” Parys said. “That was an awesome thing to have at such a young age.”

Those skills have guided Parys to know how she wants to lead the NIU program.

“I’m a very caring, passionate, loving person and I want to be able to lead that way as well,” she said. “I want my athletes to feel they can be their true, authentic selves. I want to compete and have a good time doing it.

“I want to care for them as people … and be more of a mentor and role model than a coach,” Parys said. “I feel that I can embody all of those things.”

Barry Bottino writes about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at barryoncampus@hotmail.com and follow @BarryOnCampus on Twitter.