Carissa Hill was spending a semester abroad in France last spring when she got an email from Jeremy Sands, who had been her volleyball coach for two seasons at Division III St. Mary's College of Maryland.
"He said he had to talk to me about some leadership changes," recalled Hill, a former standout at St. Vincent Pallotti High. "I was expecting him to bring in an assistant coach because he didn't have one the first two years."
That wasn't the case. Hill learned that Sands was leaving St. Mary's to become an assistant coach at the U.S. Naval Academy, a Division I program that competes in the Patriot League.
"I was very, very surprised," Hill said. "It was very shocking."
But Hill, 21, now a senior and four-year standout at St. Mary's, then realized the move was a good one for Sands and his family after a record of 34-23 in two seasons in southern Maryland.
"We all knew he had a long commute" from Annapolis, she said. "It made sense."
Coaching changes are nothing new for co-captain Hill, who made the Capital Athletic Conference all-academic team in 2015 when she played in 29 matches and was fifth in the conference in digs (441) and digs per set (4.45).
Hill was at Pallotti when she was recruited by former St. Mary's coach Morris Davis, who later resigned.
She played as a freshman in 2013 for Rose Burke, who led the team to a record of 18-10 before leaving to coach at Division II Virginia State.
After the departure of Sands, the interim head coach for St. Mary's is now Autumn Fisher, a 2016 graduate of St. Mary's and former teammate of Hill.
Fisher assumed the role only because Kelli Martin, slated to be the head coach, didn't get the proper paperwork in time from her native Canada.
"She is doing an amazing job," Hill said of Fisher. "She has always been a leader on and off the court. It has gone great, a lot better than I expected."
Hill is also doing her part during the coaching change as Martin remains part of the coaching staff.
The Pallotti graduate is one of four seniors on the roster and one of the only two, along with Mimi Graf, who have been in the program the last four years.
Hill was a defensive specialist/libero her first three years of college. But due to injuries earlier this season, she filled in as a hitter for the Seahawks.
In the first 27 matches this year, Hill had 24 kills, 51 assists and 273 digs.
Hill said the coaching changes have not been negative and welcomed the chance to play all over the court this season.
"I am pretty grateful for the experience and trying new things," she said. "In the grand scheme of things, it was nice to get three different perspectives."
Hill, the Laurel Leader Athlete of the Year, is a 2013 Pallotti graduate who played volleyball and lacrosse in high school. She was a two-time honorable mention all-metro and a three-time all-Prince George's County player in volleyball.
Hill was a co-captain for three years in volleyball under head coach Scott Fifield, and scored 75 goals as a senior in lacrosse.
She played in 28 matches and 101 sets as a freshman at St. Mary's and was fourth in the CAC in digs with 504. As a sophomore she was on the CAC all-academic team and played in 98 sets with 419 digs to lead the Seahawks.
Hill is on track to graduate in the spring with a double major in sociology and economics. She had a summer internship at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and has been offered another internship there over the winter break.
"If everything goes well, I will have a job there after I graduate," she said.
Notes: Hill had seven digs in a 3-0 win Oct. 8 over Bridgewater in non-conference play and eight digs in a sweep of Wesley for the 18-9 Seahawks.