Kyrsten Becker-McBride didn't set out to be a volleyball coach. She thought she'd spend her career in a classroom, teaching equations and solving problems. But somewhere between practices, team huddles, and long nights on the road, she realized coaching offered its own kind of math — a daily equation of character, effort, and growth.
Today, Becker-McBride serves as the head coach for Morehead State volleyball and an assistant coach for the beach volleyball program. She's built her life around helping young women grow, both on and off the court. "I started coaching volleyball because I initially thought I was going to be a high school math teacher," she said. "I coached a club team my sophomore, junior, and senior year of college and really enjoyed it."
Her path changed, but her purpose stayed the same: teach, guide, and invest in others. "My favorite thing about coaching at Morehead State is our team and the people around us who support us," she said. "The people around this program make it incredibly special."
Becker-McBride's coaching philosophy was shaped by the mentor who helped her rise through the ranks. "I worked with former head coach Jamie Gordon for 12 years, so he has absolutely shaped how I coach and he is still a mentor," she said. "He's the one that helped me go from graduate assistant to assistant to associate head coach to now head coach and has been there every step of my journey."
Along the way, she also found invaluable support and inspiration from other women in the profession. "I've been really lucky to go through some coaching education courses and be a part of an awesome community of female coaches who love to share ideas," she said. "I've been inspired and influenced by a lot of different people, but the biggest one is definitely Jamie Gordon."
That foundation has helped her build a program where growth isn't just measured in wins and losses. "It's hard to pick one particular moment that has been the most rewarding," she said. "But one of the things that I love to see is young women really grow into who they are."
For Becker-McBride, recruiting isn't just about finding talent — it's about finding the right people. "One area that we never compromise on in recruiting is character," she said. "We always look for and work really hard to identify high character young women."
She believes fit matters just as much as skill. "We need to make sure that whoever we're recruiting and talking with appreciates what we have here at Morehead State because it's special but it's also not for everybody," she said. "It needs to be the right fit for our program and we need to be the right fit for that person."
That approach has helped create a culture where players support each other and embrace the long-term process of improvement. "Something we talk about on a daily basis is that you can control your attitude and effort," she said. "That doesn't show up in a box score, but it's something that we work on a lot."
Becker-McBride doesn't measure success solely by statistics. She values the moments that happen behind the scenes — the extra reps after practice, the film sessions, the conversations that shape a player's confidence. "While we won a championship this year, some of the things that on the court got us to that point are things that people have been working on for multiple years," she said. "Those little things all put together become big things and become big wins for us."
She's seen firsthand how patience and persistence pay off. "Watching somebody go from 16 to 25 and even beyond has been really incredible," she said. "The transformation and growth in that time period is always awesome."
That growth extends far beyond volleyball. "Sometimes it's after college when we see our alumni thriving in their careers or getting married and becoming great moms," she said. "Being able to be here for such a long time, you get to see so many parts of somebody's journey and story."
What makes Morehead State special to Becker-McBride isn't just the gym — it's the community that surrounds it. "Our alumni make this incredibly special," she said. "And that sense of community that we're able to have and create and continue to grow is something really unique to Morehead State."
She points to moments that capture that spirit, like a recent team dinner hosted by an alumna. "When we played in Louisville this year, one of our alumni asked if she could host our team for a team dinner," she said. "Ellie Roberson Puckett didn't play with anybody on our team. Her last season with Morehead State Volleyball was 2012, and she's currently in our Hall of Fame. But that sense of community that an alumni who doesn't really know anybody on our team wants to have us over, wants to stay connected, and wants to continue to give to the program is something really unique."
That connection helps her players see themselves as part of something bigger. "Everything we are pouring into this program is probably going to push it forward to a point that outlasts any of us," she said. "This program has been around before us and it will be around after all of us leave it at some point."
Becker-McBride's coaching style centers on balance — pushing players to be aggressive without being reckless, confident without being careless. "On the court, we use the phrase a lot, was it reckless, or the balance of aggressive and reckless," she said. "Are we making choices that are under control and calculated, and we went for something and that's aggressive, or did we just totally become reckless?"
She also reminds her team to keep things in perspective. "One that I like a lot is, no bad days, just bad moments," she said. "Too often people say, I have a bad day, when there's still a lot of good that can come from it."
Her favorite quote — the one that sits on her desk — captures her philosophy perfectly: "Plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit." For her, it's a reminder that coaching is about investing in something that will last long after she's gone.
Away from volleyball, Becker-McBride finds peace in the garden. "I love gardening," she said. "It's my favorite thing to do and I really enjoy being in Morehead in the summer and being able to grow fruits and vegetables and flowers and spending time outside."
She loves exploring local coffee shops with her team on game days, turning it into a small tradition that brings everyone together. She also has three pets — including a cat the team found in 2021. "They found a little kitten that was hiding under a car and she is now one of our three cats," she said. "I love having my pets and I think it's really special that our team actually found one for us."
And if she were in charge of the pregame playlist? "If it was my hype time it would be Beyonce, Lil Wayne, and MGK (Machine Gun Kelly)," she said with a laugh. "That is not what makes it on their playlist, but they do have a few songs that have been on the hype time playlist for years that I would make sure stay on it."
Becker-McBride knows the journey isn't always easy, especially for young athletes who want results right away. "Try and see the big picture and not focus so much on immediate success," she said. "Immediate success and immediate gratification is something that can be a struggle for younger generations, but recognizing that all the success that you see at the college level took years and years and lots of hard work."
She wants her players to embrace the process, even when it's hard. "When you get to college, everybody works hard and everybody is good at volleyball," she said. "You have to be really comfortable with being frustrated and failure and recognizing that every time you fail, there's something to learn from it."
For her, growth is about patience, perspective, and purpose. "Growth is not linear," she said. "It definitely has its ups and its downs, and I think when people go into a process understanding that it's not going to be easy and it's not always going to be an upward trend, it can make life a lot easier."
In the end, her message is simple: embrace the journey, trust the process, and recognize that every setback is just another step forward.
