May 15, 2026 • 11 mins
The Head Coach of the UC Volleyball program joined Mo as part of his 513 Day broadcast at UC.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Please to be joined right now by the volleyball head
coach at the University of Cincinnati, Daniella Tomach.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
It's awesome to have you.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Thank you, moo, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
A year ago, at this time you had just gotten
the job. You were getting ready for year one. So
I would imagine relative to what things were like a
year ago, things have calmed down a little a little bit.
Speaker 4 (00:21):
I was actually texting a friend today and I said,
I feel more grounded. Okay, Cincinnati feels like home. Yeah,
after almost a year and a half, a lot of
has happened. First of all, going through my first season
in the Big twelve, my coaching staff and I, so
that was definitely an experience coming from a conference where
(00:44):
you know, you get on a bus and every school
is two three hours away, and you enjoy now every
trip but one is flying. Just a lot of learning,
you know, not only the job, but learning the institution,
learning the community.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
And it's been it's been awesome.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
I feel good about the spring that we had the
second spring. Everybody who stayed with us throughout the spring
is coming back, so we didn't lose anybody to the portal.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
After the spring.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
We did lose some after the fall, but that's to
be expected in this environment right now, and just excited
about the second year kind of. I feel last year
when we talked, it was just a lot of unknown.
We just finished only our spring season with the team
and recruiting and going through the competitive season, and I
(01:40):
feel just grounded, kind of, Okay, this is.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
What it's going to take.
Speaker 4 (01:46):
I have a better idea what we need to do
from the recruiting standpoint, from training, from building the culture
that we're doing here. So it feels good to be
celebrating the second five one three days.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Yeah, No, I mean it's it's gotta be nice to
get the year one stuff behind you, right, and you
look ahead the year too. What excites you most about
the players are going to bring back for your second season?
Speaker 3 (02:10):
I think what excites me? First of all, we have
you know, Sydney Nolan is back. That would that would
that excites me?
Speaker 4 (02:18):
I think, yes, yes, Florence Kentucky just a great bear
cat too. And I told her a few times that
the best volleyball is ahead of her, So I look forward.
I know she had a breakthrough season. This is a
first year for her to play as an outside the
whole season, So that's it's even more impressive. And you
(02:41):
think how young she was in that position.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
When you when you first met her, could you envision
her having the season that she had, Yeah, the breakout
players of the conference, Yes.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
Just because going through the spring with her, seeing how
good of a learner she is, great wark ethic and
the probably most importantly, being a really great teammate. When
you have your best player being also a great teammate,
you know you have something special there. And we just
(03:12):
saw again there's never guarantee right when you get players,
regardless how talented they are, what's going to happen. But
Sydney is a great competitor too, and this school means
a lot to her. She loves the team, she loves
this community, and when you're playing for something bigger than yourself,
good things happen. So I'm excited about that. I'm excited
(03:36):
that the team has a better idea what it takes
to beat some of the best teams in the Big
Twelve and to be in the NCAA tournament. We missed
it by by just a little of you were the
first team or the last team out of the NCAA tournament.
So that was a lesson for our players. You know,
(03:58):
we had a great when here at home on a
senior night against the ranked Colorado team, but it wasn't enough.
We needed just one more of those ranked twins and
we had a few two or three that we couldn't.
It could have went either way and we didn't take
(04:19):
care of business at home. And it's really really hard
in this conference to win on the road, not just
for us but for everybody. If you look at the records,
it's just hard to win on the road because of
the how close everybody is.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
There's no easy match in the Big twelve.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
So I think our team having a better understanding and
having the core group of players and maturity who were
with us last year and we're on that journey with us,
that they understand a little bit better what the standard
needs to be every day for us in the gym,
how we train, how we prepare heavy again, what kind
(04:56):
of team we are and living up our values and
all that stuff. And our job as coaches is to
continue recruiting the best talent that we can. And we're
excited about the new players who are coming in. It's
it's a nice mix of some experience, some transfer athletes,
and some young high school kids really really talented.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
I think we'll give us some really bright future.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
And you mentioned we were talking before we went on
international players.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Yep, right, so they'll they'll get here at the campus soon.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Now are these players who have played college volleyball but
they're from another part of the world. Are you bringing
them straight from across the globe?
Speaker 4 (05:39):
We have a two who we recruited from a transfer portal.
One joined us in January under Asimovsky from Utah State.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
It seems like Utest.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
State people pretty good.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
I don't mind. It's fine, but she's from Serbia originally.
Speaker 4 (05:56):
So we had Tatyna Semyono, which was the only international
player we had last year. A refreshman our middle Andrea
joined us this semester. And we have two that we
signed last fall. One is well actually this spring and
last fall. One is a liberal from Bulgaria who was
(06:19):
the best liberal at the U twenty three World Championships
last year. I think she will be Victorian Ninova is
her name. I think she'll be one of the best
liberals in the country, not just in our conference. She
is a high level She competed last year with the
Bulgarian senior national team at the VNL, which is one
of the highest international competitions in volleyball besides the Olympics.
(06:42):
So she's coming to us in July. Then we have
a Swiss lefty because we lost some kids in the portal,
we had to replace them, and Nina Scruche, that's her name.
She was voted the MVP of the U twenty three
Swiss Championships, so.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
We're excited about her.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
And just last week we actually yesterday we announced the
latest one a transfer from Miami University of Florida, but
she was first year at Utah State, et cetera.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
That we didn't think we would need.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
That position this spring, but some changes happened on our roster,
so we had to recruit another setter. And having this
second transfer portal window helped us.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
In a situation.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Do you go to Switzerland to recr will I did not?
Speaker 3 (07:32):
I know I have been in Switzerland.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
I did not see this kid in person. It was
we recruited her offer video and now with all the matches,
we have all the matches online that we can watch
and she was highly recommended also by her coaches.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
So I planned to go.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
I like to visit the countries of my players to
meet the family, meet them in their environment. Unfortunately didn't
work out this spring.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
But because I'm Swiss and that that's where I want
to go. That's my my lineage is mainly Swiss. That's
where I want to go.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Now.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
Now and Venina comes, I need to introduce you and
and have you. She's actually Italian, which is interesting, so
is a dual citizen. Okay, Italy and Swiss. But she
speaks also French. I believe her parents came from Italy.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
I speak no Swiss, I speak no French.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Just English. She speaks really good.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
We're lucky if I can, if I can somehow put
four sentences together without scrowing up in the language I've
been speaking my entire life.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
But yes, so I.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Think you're doing well for somebody who you know being
on the radio.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
I think you you're good.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
We have you and and everybody else fool. But but
I was going to say, if you need help recruiting internationally.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
You want to be my recruiting just international.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Bulgaria, I'll go to Switzerland. We can name a.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Few other places that Serbia, Brazil sounds nice.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
Nice. I'll check with our compliance. I just need to,
you know, confirm.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
I don't think it will be permissible, but I understand.
I would also recommend just go there.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
I have a vacation. Yeah, it's beautiful.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
I'd like to do that.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
I can't get any when I tell people, like, hey,
let's go to Switzerland this summer. Not a lot of takers.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
But you know, it's beautiful.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
The city Ernina is coming from. I already told her.
I said, I'm coming to visit you. So it's it's beautiful.
It's on the lake.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
I think it's called New Chatel.
Speaker 4 (09:29):
It's it just looks stunning on the pictures.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
So yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
And then Bulgaria, Sophia. I've never been in that country,
so that's another place I want to go and visit.
And then my country, my part of the world, you know,
Serbia and Croatia.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
I'm pretty familiar with that.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
I have a friend who just vacation in Croatia and
I was very jealous of her photos.
Speaker 4 (09:51):
I am it's kind of the secret. Is beautiful out
Yeah it does. Yeah, I'm going to be there in July. Actually,
that's that's my vacation spot home.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
I am going home.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
My mom still lives there and my sister. So that's
my summer vacation.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Very good.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
I will be on the Adriatic Sea.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
I'm going to Tennessee. So sorry. I can't thank you
enough for doing this.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
Thank you mo.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
Yeah, if I can use this opportunity, whoever is listening,
please please come and support our team this fall. I
really believe that we have a great product on the floor.
It's exciting, it's athletic, it's fast paced, it's entertaining, and
it's it's loud. We want it loud because when we
go to these gyms in the Big twelve, believe me,
(10:38):
that's why it's hard to win on the on the road.
It's it's a really big home court advantage. So you
want the fifth third to be crazy loud. And if
you don't love it, find me and I'm gonna reimburse
everybody's ticket who says I don't I didn't love it,
because I haven't met one person who didn't come and
(10:59):
say that was awesome.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
And I will be back.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I second everything you just said.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
Thank you, and the bye season tickets is the best
deal in the and is it really is? We have
so thank you and uh, let's keep celebrating our great city.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
Five one three, all right.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
Danielle Atomas, the volleyball head coach here at the University
of Cincinnati, the great Mark west Parker will join us
next here at you see, it's five point three day.
This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
Please to be joined right now by the volleyball head
coach at the University of Cincinnati, Daniella Tomach.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
It's awesome to have you.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Thank you, moo, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
A year ago, at this time you had just gotten
the job. You were getting ready for year one. So
I would imagine relative to what things were like a
year ago, things have calmed down a little a little bit.
Speaker 4 (00:21):
I was actually texting a friend today and I said,
I feel more grounded. Okay, Cincinnati feels like home. Yeah,
after almost a year and a half, a lot of
has happened. First of all, going through my first season
in the Big twelve, my coaching staff and I, so
that was definitely an experience coming from a conference where
(00:44):
you know, you get on a bus and every school
is two three hours away, and you enjoy now every
trip but one is flying. Just a lot of learning,
you know, not only the job, but learning the institution,
learning the community.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
And it's been it's been awesome.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
I feel good about the spring that we had the
second spring. Everybody who stayed with us throughout the spring
is coming back, so we didn't lose anybody to the portal.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
After the spring.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
We did lose some after the fall, but that's to
be expected in this environment right now, and just excited
about the second year kind of. I feel last year
when we talked, it was just a lot of unknown.
We just finished only our spring season with the team
and recruiting and going through the competitive season, and I
(01:40):
feel just grounded, kind of, Okay, this is.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
What it's going to take.
Speaker 4 (01:46):
I have a better idea what we need to do
from the recruiting standpoint, from training, from building the culture
that we're doing here. So it feels good to be
celebrating the second five one three days.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Yeah, No, I mean it's it's gotta be nice to
get the year one stuff behind you, right, and you
look ahead the year too. What excites you most about
the players are going to bring back for your second season?
Speaker 3 (02:10):
I think what excites me? First of all, we have
you know, Sydney Nolan is back. That would that would
that excites me?
Speaker 4 (02:18):
I think, yes, yes, Florence Kentucky just a great bear
cat too. And I told her a few times that
the best volleyball is ahead of her, So I look forward.
I know she had a breakthrough season. This is a
first year for her to play as an outside the
whole season, So that's it's even more impressive. And you
(02:41):
think how young she was in that position.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
When you when you first met her, could you envision
her having the season that she had, Yeah, the breakout
players of the conference, Yes.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
Just because going through the spring with her, seeing how
good of a learner she is, great wark ethic and
the probably most importantly, being a really great teammate. When
you have your best player being also a great teammate,
you know you have something special there. And we just
(03:12):
saw again there's never guarantee right when you get players,
regardless how talented they are, what's going to happen. But
Sydney is a great competitor too, and this school means
a lot to her. She loves the team, she loves
this community, and when you're playing for something bigger than yourself,
good things happen. So I'm excited about that. I'm excited
(03:36):
that the team has a better idea what it takes
to beat some of the best teams in the Big
Twelve and to be in the NCAA tournament. We missed
it by by just a little of you were the
first team or the last team out of the NCAA tournament.
So that was a lesson for our players. You know,
(03:58):
we had a great when here at home on a
senior night against the ranked Colorado team, but it wasn't enough.
We needed just one more of those ranked twins and
we had a few two or three that we couldn't.
It could have went either way and we didn't take
(04:19):
care of business at home. And it's really really hard
in this conference to win on the road, not just
for us but for everybody. If you look at the records,
it's just hard to win on the road because of
the how close everybody is.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
There's no easy match in the Big twelve.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
So I think our team having a better understanding and
having the core group of players and maturity who were
with us last year and we're on that journey with us,
that they understand a little bit better what the standard
needs to be every day for us in the gym,
how we train, how we prepare heavy again, what kind
(04:56):
of team we are and living up our values and
all that stuff. And our job as coaches is to
continue recruiting the best talent that we can. And we're
excited about the new players who are coming in. It's
it's a nice mix of some experience, some transfer athletes,
and some young high school kids really really talented.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
I think we'll give us some really bright future.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
And you mentioned we were talking before we went on
international players.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Yep, right, so they'll they'll get here at the campus soon.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Now are these players who have played college volleyball but
they're from another part of the world. Are you bringing
them straight from across the globe?
Speaker 4 (05:39):
We have a two who we recruited from a transfer portal.
One joined us in January under Asimovsky from Utah State.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
It seems like Utest.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
State people pretty good.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
I don't mind. It's fine, but she's from Serbia originally.
Speaker 4 (05:56):
So we had Tatyna Semyono, which was the only international
player we had last year. A refreshman our middle Andrea
joined us this semester. And we have two that we
signed last fall. One is well actually this spring and
last fall. One is a liberal from Bulgaria who was
(06:19):
the best liberal at the U twenty three World Championships
last year. I think she will be Victorian Ninova is
her name. I think she'll be one of the best
liberals in the country, not just in our conference. She
is a high level She competed last year with the
Bulgarian senior national team at the VNL, which is one
of the highest international competitions in volleyball besides the Olympics.
(06:42):
So she's coming to us in July. Then we have
a Swiss lefty because we lost some kids in the portal,
we had to replace them, and Nina Scruche, that's her name.
She was voted the MVP of the U twenty three
Swiss Championships, so.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
We're excited about her.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
And just last week we actually yesterday we announced the
latest one a transfer from Miami University of Florida, but
she was first year at Utah State, et cetera.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
That we didn't think we would need.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
That position this spring, but some changes happened on our roster,
so we had to recruit another setter. And having this
second transfer portal window helped us.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
In a situation.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Do you go to Switzerland to recr will I did not?
Speaker 3 (07:32):
I know I have been in Switzerland.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
I did not see this kid in person. It was
we recruited her offer video and now with all the matches,
we have all the matches online that we can watch
and she was highly recommended also by her coaches.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
So I planned to go.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
I like to visit the countries of my players to
meet the family, meet them in their environment. Unfortunately didn't
work out this spring.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
But because I'm Swiss and that that's where I want
to go. That's my my lineage is mainly Swiss. That's
where I want to go.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Now.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
Now and Venina comes, I need to introduce you and
and have you. She's actually Italian, which is interesting, so
is a dual citizen. Okay, Italy and Swiss. But she
speaks also French. I believe her parents came from Italy.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
I speak no Swiss, I speak no French.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Just English. She speaks really good.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
We're lucky if I can, if I can somehow put
four sentences together without scrowing up in the language I've
been speaking my entire life.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
But yes, so I.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Think you're doing well for somebody who you know being
on the radio.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
I think you you're good.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
We have you and and everybody else fool. But but
I was going to say, if you need help recruiting internationally.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
You want to be my recruiting just international.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Bulgaria, I'll go to Switzerland. We can name a.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Few other places that Serbia, Brazil sounds nice.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
Nice. I'll check with our compliance. I just need to,
you know, confirm.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
I don't think it will be permissible, but I understand.
I would also recommend just go there.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
I have a vacation. Yeah, it's beautiful.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
I'd like to do that.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
I can't get any when I tell people, like, hey,
let's go to Switzerland this summer. Not a lot of takers.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
But you know, it's beautiful.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
The city Ernina is coming from. I already told her.
I said, I'm coming to visit you. So it's it's beautiful.
It's on the lake.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
I think it's called New Chatel.
Speaker 4 (09:29):
It's it just looks stunning on the pictures.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
So yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
And then Bulgaria, Sophia. I've never been in that country,
so that's another place I want to go and visit.
And then my country, my part of the world, you know,
Serbia and Croatia.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
I'm pretty familiar with that.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
I have a friend who just vacation in Croatia and
I was very jealous of her photos.
Speaker 4 (09:51):
I am it's kind of the secret. Is beautiful out
Yeah it does. Yeah, I'm going to be there in July. Actually,
that's that's my vacation spot home.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
I am going home.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
My mom still lives there and my sister. So that's
my summer vacation.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Very good.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
I will be on the Adriatic Sea.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
I'm going to Tennessee. So sorry. I can't thank you
enough for doing this.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
Thank you mo.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
Yeah, if I can use this opportunity, whoever is listening,
please please come and support our team this fall. I
really believe that we have a great product on the floor.
It's exciting, it's athletic, it's fast paced, it's entertaining, and
it's it's loud. We want it loud because when we
go to these gyms in the Big twelve, believe me,
(10:38):
that's why it's hard to win on the on the road.
It's it's a really big home court advantage. So you
want the fifth third to be crazy loud. And if
you don't love it, find me and I'm gonna reimburse
everybody's ticket who says I don't I didn't love it,
because I haven't met one person who didn't come and
(10:59):
say that was awesome.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
And I will be back.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I second everything you just said.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
Thank you, and the bye season tickets is the best
deal in the and is it really is? We have
so thank you and uh, let's keep celebrating our great city.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
Five one three, all right.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
Danielle Atomas, the volleyball head coach here at the University
of Cincinnati, the great Mark west Parker will join us
next here at you see, it's five point three day.
This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
Mo Egger News
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