College Women’s Volleyball Roundup : Cummings Quits Under Pressure at Cal State Fullerton

Cal State Fullerton volleyball Coach Fran Cummings resigned Tuesday under athletic department pressure, becoming the second Fullerton coach to resign in 3 weeks.

George McQuarn resigned without comment as basketball coach Nov. 3. Sources have said his resignation was not forced.

Cummings, who had been considering quitting for some time, said in a release that her reasons for leaving are “personal,” but numerous sources at Fullerton said there was pressure from within the athletic department.

The Titans recently completed an 11-24 season, Cummings’ ninth as coach. Fullerton was 0-18 in the Big West Conference, widely considered the best volleyball conference in the country.

Cummings’ teams were 84-216 in 9 seasons, 9-127 in conference play.

“Although our win-loss record may not show it, I feel our commitment to the sport was total and the image of volleyball here is now much better than when I arrived,” Cummings said in the release.

Cummings told the players of her resignation during a meeting Tuesday.

“She presented it to us as a mutual agreement (with the athletic department),” said Susan Herman, a junior. “I think they had some input.”

Leanne Grotke, an associate athletic director who oversees volleyball, would not respond directly to questions about department pressure.

“You’re never happy to be at the bottom of the conference,” Grotke said. “I don’t know whether our program has to be at the bottom of the conference.”

Cummings had expressed frustration this season with the situation at Fullerton, saying she did not believe she was given the resources to compete in the conference.

“It makes it look like I’m a bad coach, and I’m not. I know that,” Cummings said several weeks ago.

Fullerton coaches have come under increased scrutiny under a policy instituted in June by University President Jewel Plummer Cobb that links renewal of their contracts to fund raising and athletes’ academic performance.

Eight of 11 seniors in Cummings’ program during a 5-year study period have graduated, compared with 46% of all senior athletes at the school.

Grotke called the volleyball program’s fund-raising performance “mediocre.”

Athletic Director Ed Carroll said in a release that “we wish (Cummings) the best. We know she has experienced frustration trying to compete in the Big West Conference. We will miss her.”

Herman said the team was surprised and saddened by the resignation.

“It’s a shame. I know Fran loved coaching,” Herman said.

Cummings will continue working at Fullerton until her contract expires Dec. 31.

The school will seek to name a replacement by the end of January, Grotke said.

Carroll, who has been athletic director since July 1985, now has two coaching positions to fill.

“We’ve hired two coaches in major sports since I’ve been here--(baseball coach) Larry Cochell, the national coach of the year last year, and (women’s basketball coach) Maryalyce Jeremiah, the (conference) coach of the year last year,” Carroll said. “I’m confident both of these positions will attract coaches of similar quality, outstanding individuals in a position to fit our needs in academics, fund raising and building a competitive program.”

Teee Williams of the University of Hawaii and Tara Cross of Cal State Long Beach were named the Big West Conference’s players of the year in a vote of the conference’s volleyball coaches.

Williams led Hawaii to its second consecutive conference title. Cross, a graduate of Southern California Christian High School, guided the 49ers to a second-place finish.

Kris Roberts of UC Irvine was also selected to the first team. Susan Herman of Cal State Fullerton was an honorable mention.

For the the first time since 1981, Chapman College has advanced to the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. women’s volleyball tournament.

The Panthers (24-19), who finished fourth in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn., were selected as an at-large team Tuesday and will play Cal State Northridge in the first round.

The date of the game will be announced today.

Northridge (29-10) finished second in the CCAA and has beaten Chapman twice this season.

Chapman is ranked 14th in the nation and Northridge is 5th.