VOLLEYBALL Montgomery wins 500th at Hubbard

While building up the Hubbard High program, Coach Chuck Montgomery built a strong record along the way.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
LIBERTY -- On the bus ride home from yet another Hubbard loss, sophomore Janelle Shaffer sought out first year head coach Chuck Montgomery.
It was 1991 -- the Eagles' first year playing volleyball -- and they had started 0-9.
"She looked at me and asked, 'Coach, when are we ever going to win?' " Montgomery said. "I told her we just need to keep doing the things that we're supposed to do. We'll get better."
He was right. The Eagles won 11 of their last 13 games that season to finish at .500. Over the next 10 years, Hubbard would become one of the area's most dominant volleyball programs.
And at the center was Montgomery.
Milestone: Montgomery won his 500th volleyball game Monday night as his Eagles dominated the host Leopards, 15-2, 15-4.
"It's just a great feeling," Montgomery said. "I couldn't have done it without the great support here. It's been a lot of fun and I've had a lot of great talent over the years. I've been blessed."
Montgomery, a star basketball player at Salem and YSU in the '60s, began coaching volleyball in 1972 at Farrell (Pa.) High School. He has won 265 games at Farrell, where he still teaches and coaches boys volleyball in the spring.
When the Hubbard job opened up in 1991, Montgomery's wife, Judy, asked, "Why don't you take the job? You can coach your kids. You already coach everybody else's kids."
Daughters played: Good advice. Both of Montgomery's daughters played for him as he racked up 235 wins, including 132 straight in the Trumbull Athletic Conference.
"When you can't play, you have to coach," Montgomery said. "I'm a competitive guy. You have to do something to satisfy that competitiveness."
Hubbard's seventh and eighth grade volleyball teams were in the stands at Monday's game. Afterward, the crowd -- about 90 percent Hubbard fans -- gave Montgomery a lengthy -- and loud -- standing ovation.
"He's a great coach," said senior Amanda Lingenfelter, a captain along with seniors Amy Falhammer and Jessica Forrester. "His dedication and work ethic makes [the 500th win] what it is. We were just lucky to be here."
Well-known: Assistant coach Jeremy Porter played against Montgomery's Farrell teams when he attended Maplewood (Pa.) High School. Montgomery was well-known when he was in high school, Porter said.
"I think [the milestone] shows how much time and effort he's put in," Porter said. "He always has good teams. He has a desire to help girls not just in volleyball."
Freshman coach Nicole Nemkovich was on the 1991 team. She has seen firsthand the job Montgomery has done.
"Just to see us come from a bunch of girls who thought they were going to play backyard volleyball to see what it is now is amazing," said Nemkovich. "It took a long time to go from where we were to where we are now.
"He's a great guy, not just a great coach. He doesn't just teach volleyball, he teaches values that the girls will take with them the rest of their lives."
Part of story: Forrester was on the JV team when Montgomery won his 100th straight TAC-8 game against Lakeview in 1999. She was part of an even bigger milestone on Monday.
"This means a lot," Forrester said. "Coach has made us so much better since our freshman year. I know personally, I'm a million times better. There would be no streak if not for his dedication."
Montgomery rarely loses -- he has just 97 losses -- but Falhammer said he learns from those losses.
"And he teaches us to learn from those losses so we can improve," she said. "He pushes us to play the best we can."
Plans to stay: For now, Montgomery, 52, has no plans to retire. He said he still loves competing and loves the game. He praises his assistants along with middle school coaches Kristen Lavelle and Janene Hivner, saying they help make his job easier. He says he loves the support Hubbard gives him.
Simply put, he has it too good to quit now.
"One of reasons you coach is to see the families and kids come out and to see the appreciation they have for you," he said. "It's touching. I'm blessed to be at Hubbard. It's been a very humbling experience."
scalzo@vindy.com