HAMILTON — Veda Morrison got herself a promotion.
The 2015 Hamilton High School graduate was named head coach of the Big Blue girls volleyball program, the school announced Sunday.
Morrison coached at the middle school level for four years before helping as a varsity assistant last season. She also coached the freshman team.
“I’m really excited,” Morrison said. “I’m ready to get going. I really want to keep building momentum with these girls. I love this group of athletes so much. I think I’ve got a pretty good rapport with them to keep things going in the right direction.”
Morrison takes over for Dwayne Stacy, who announced his resignation in November. Stacy led the Hamilton girls and boys volleyball teams and had a coaching career that spanned 39 years at the middle school, high school and collegiate levels.
Big Blue had 10 straight losing seasons before going 13-11 in 2023 and 11-11 in 2024.
“When I was interviewing her, I could just hear the passion she had to lead this program,” Hamilton athletic director Missy Harvey said. “Whenever I get the opportunity to hire alumni, I think it’s great. She was invested as a student-athlete, and now she can be invested as a head coach.
“She will be a great role model for young female athletes. Her youthfulness will help this program greatly.”
Morrison said she had planned on continuing her light role within the program for a couple more seasons and was taken back when Harvey called her in to her office to talk about the open position.
“I thought they were just going to give it to somebody else is what I assumed — somebody that was more experienced,” Morrison said. “We were just talking about things and kind of what we wanted the program to look like for the next year.”
The impact Morrison had at the lower coaching levels convinced Harvey that the program would be in good hands if it was under her leadership.
“‘The reason we brought you up from the middle school to the high school was so eventually this would be yours,’” Morrison recalled Harvey saying. “‘I really want you to strongly consider taking this on for next season.’
“I was just like, ‘Whoa. That’s a lot to think about.’”
Morrison said she ultimately took the job because she wants “to see the program flourish and be the reason that it does.” She also said utilizing the weight room more will be an immediate focus.
“I think we have the volleyball IQ,” Morrison said. “I just think we need to get a little stronger. I know as long as I’ve been in the Hamilton volleyball program, the weight room has not really been utilized for female volleyball athletes.”
Morrison played three varsity seasons for Hamilton and led Big Blue in kills (76) and blocks (25) her senior year.
Morrison has a Miami University degree in middle childhood education with a focus in math and social studies. She currently works at Garfield Middle School as a satellite instructor but is employed through Butler Tech.
Morrison, who recently got engaged to her fiancée Bethany Reister, resides in Hamilton.
