One thing I had heard about former Union volleyball player and current assistant coach Sydney Whittaker is that she puts people at ease. I didn’t know her personally, but everyone on campus spoke so highly of her that I was genuinely excited to get to talk to her, outside of her being my interview subject. And as I got deeper into conversation with Whittaker, I really was put at ease. If there’s one thing that was evident to me about Whittaker during our short time together, it is that she loves the Lord, and as a result, deeply loves and cares for the people He has created.
“The people,” Whittaker said, smiling, when I asked what her favorite part of coaching has been. “Being so directly involved in 17 girls’ lives.”
She expressed her belief that because God is sovereign, her presence in the players’ lives and the influence she has on them as a leader is not random; it is intentional.
I asked what leadership looks like for her now that she is a coach rather than a player. She said that while she’s not able to be a part of the team culture in the same way, her ministry remains the same.
“My team is my first ministry,” Whittaker said. “The way I carry myself, the way that I speak to the people on my team and about the people on my team communicates what I believe about Christ.”
Whittaker’s leadership is in a support role to head coach Emma Carter, and as a graduate, she is no longer a part of the Union community in such an immediate way; however, she believes in the power of prayer and the simple influence of leading by example.
“As a coach, it feels a little more behind-the-scenes,” Whittaker said. “How can I be praying for every single person on my team? … The Lord’s given me 17 girls, like, it would be heartbreaking if I didn’t commit to praying for each and every one of them.”
When I asked what kind of team environment she and Coach Carter are seeking to create, she pointed to three ideals. The first is “eyes up”—a focus on seeing people and being seen by people. Second, the team wants to serve first, prioritizing serving on campus and in the community before they even place the focus on volleyball. Finally, they want to “hold the line”—to keep each other accountable and speak highly of the program and of each other. Christ is in the center of their team culture.
Whittaker humbly admitted that she feels unequipped for her position, while also conveying her steadfast belief that God will equip her.
“It’s really pushed me to greater dependence on the Lord and just like: ‘Okay Jesus, show me your face, every single day, like in the details, just walk with me throughout today.’
“I never wanted to be a coach or thought this was in the cards for me at all,” she said. “So, it’s really like, this is where the Lord’s put me, and I see that the Lord cares about Union volleyball, so I’m gonna care about it, and I want it to be something that brings Him glory.”
As someone who was on the court with several of the players who she now coaches, she is in a unique position where she truly knows what the girls are going through, because she has walked through the same challenges herself. They are balancing school, relationships, work, practices, lifts and games; all while pursuing something that is ultimately temporary.
“Being so not far removed… I remember exactly what that feels like,” she said. “There’s so much hope I can give them like of like, this is not who you are, this is not the most important thing about you.”
I asked Whittaker to tell me about what drew her to Union as a freshman volleyball recruit, and what made her want to stay to help coach the team she was once a part of and spend another year in Jackson.
She said that Union was the only school on her recruiting journey that she would have gone to even if she didn’t play volleyball and expressed how much she loves Union’s core values.
“The Lord just made it clear, this is where I’m going, like, ‘This is where I want you to go’,” she said. “When you jump in, you will be changed and shaped by these things.”
When asked why she stayed, she returned to a common thread in her love for Union.
“Just deep gratitude for Union,” she said. “The people, I think, are always what keeps people here. … Staying wasn’t the hardest decision ever to make; it was actually like a joyful decision.”
I shared with Whittaker that even as a sophomore, I can look back and recognize many ways in which the Lord has already grown me through my time at Union.
“After four years, you’re gonna look back and think ‘I don’t even recognize who I used to be’ in the most amazing way,” she said joyfully.
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