Entering the 2025 season, the buzzword surrounding the Macomb High volleyball team is change.
And the change starts at the top of the program with the hire of Hillary Humes as the next head varsity coach for the Bombers.
“I was very excited when I got the call that I got the job,” she said. “I’m excited to step in and take over.”
Humes replaces Briana Rexroat, who resigned last spring after guiding the program for the past 10 seasons.
Macomb posted a record of 247-85 in that span. The last four years, the Bombers were 124-25, winning three Class 2A Regional titles.
Macomb finished last season with a 31-5 record. The Bombers saw their season end by Tremont 25-22, 25-23 in the Class 2A Regional final at Farmington.
Humes is not a stranger to the Macomb volleyball programs, having coached at the middle school, freshman and JV levels during the past five years.
“Bri was a really good mentor, following her lead,” said Humes of Rexroat. “Watching her, how she led the varsity program, how you build a program in the junior high and all that too. I felt pretty prepared, ready to take on this responsibility now as a head coach.”
“It was always in the back of my mind,” she added. “It was something that I was ready to do.”
“She wasn’t intentionally preparing me to be the head coach, but I shadowed a lot of what she was doing,” Humes continued of Rexroat. “Just through how successful she was as a coach, how she ran drills, I could shadow her and watch that and I feel very prepared to step into that role.”
Joining Humes as a volunteer assistant this fall will be her aunt, and her coach during her playing days, long-time Colchester and West Prairie coach Teri Paul.
“Having coach Paul in the gym, it’s so great and such a great get,” said Humes. “I’m very thankful she wants to come help and volunteer her time.”
“We can always bounce ideas off each other,” she added. “At family dinners, we don’t get through without talking about volleyball, any level. It’s always been a part of our family.”
Humes looks for the players to listen to Paul and enjoy the benefits of her experience.
“She’s so knowledgeable,” Humes stated. “She taught me. She taught Bri. I told the players to be open to that. Be open to her feedback. I think they’ve really taken to it well.”
Eight seniors graduated from last year’s team, casting a different light on the program.
“Our motto for this summer has been ‘Embrace change,’” said Humes. “Last year’s seniors going out, that was a big loss. They’ve been big keys for the varsity for several years. They were a core team.”
“Now we have new seniors and you have new freshmen coming in,” she added. “There’s new faces in the gym on that aspect. Then with coach Paul and two new assistants, those are new faces that will be in the gym.”
“And even though I have coached all these girls in junior high and I’m not necessarily a new face, I’m now in a new role with new expectations for myself and new expectations for the team. So that’s a change too,” Humes continued.
“Change doesn’t have to be a bad thing or a scary thing,” said Humes. “We can take that fear and then really go with it. We can all start on a new slate and really hit it from there.”
“I obviously have an idea of some positions, but it changes,” she said. “Especially at the varsity level. I’m going to have to learn too.”
“I have to put the best team out there that’s going to give us a chance to win,” said Humes. “And I’ve got to be confident in those decisions.”
While Humes noted that players or rules may change, the core fundamentals do not.
“The game changes by year,” she said. “But the foundations of volleyball don’t change. (You have to) serve and pass.”
“I think while we’re embracing all this new change, we will still serve and pass and build upon that foundation.”
“Things around us might be changing,” Humes stated. “New faces and new leaders on the court, but those foundations of volleyball don’t change.”
“If you can’t serve and pass, you don’t win,” she said. “They can rely on those skills they have developed and then we can go from there and try some different things.”
Despite the graduation losses from last season, Humes believes this year’s team can experience success.
“I have high expectations for them,” she said. “For a lot of (last year’s) juniors, this is their chance to make their mark.”
A lingering question for the group is if it can measure up to last year’s squad.
“It’s a good goal to have,” said Humes. “That class was excellent. But you don’t want it to hinder you either. You can make your own mark. Just because we lost some core players, doesn’t mean we can’t be just as successful.”
“We know what it takes to win and we can do it,” she added. “You don’t have to do everything like those previous teams.”
“Volleyball is a mental game, as much as it is physical,” Humes said. “They have the physical skills. It’s getting them to realize it. They don’t have to be like last year. They can be just as successful this year with what they have.”
While last year’s team started the season 21-0, Humes said every match is valuable, win or lose.
“You learn from losses,” she said. “If you go your whole season without losing, you don’t know how to adapt to the chaos and to come back from a loss too.”
As the team prepares for the season, the overarching message from Humes to the team is a simple one.
“Let’s embrace this change, make our own mark and see what we can do.”
