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The University of Mississippi Athletics
The Success Hotline
10/11/2016 | Volleyball
OXFORD, Miss. -- People often say there is no elevator to success; you have to take the stairs. While this may be true, head coach Steven McRoberts has found a way to further improve the quality of each step the Rebels take.
Success for Ole Miss Volleyball starts with seven core values: Serve others, be unconditionally grateful, give your very best, have a great attitude, no excuses, do the right thing, and laugh a lot.
Every preseason, Coach McRoberts has asked players to define these values, what it means to them and how it will affect the team for the upcoming season. He is confident that if his team follows these seven deeds, they will acquire the success they desire.
"If we put these values into perspective when we come onto the court, we are going to do things well because we will see the big picture as opposed to an individual performance," said McRoberts. "I want to make sure that I am not just making good passers or good hitters, but hopefully good people too."
Every step taken by McRoberts and his team is done with these core values in mind. And when times get tough, they keep the Rebels on the right track.
Ole Miss started off the season on a high note with seven straight wins-one for each of its seven core values-but in the eighth game, the Rebels stumbled to a 3-0 defeat in the Lipscomb tournament. With the next match approaching in less than an hour, they needed guidance, and they needed it fast.
Facing adversity, Coach McRoberts thought back to a conversation he had earlier in the year with Ole Miss Baseball's head coach, Mike Bianco. Bianco talked about stories he would tell his team before games, but he didn't come up with the stories on his own, he had a little help from The Success Hotline.
The Success Hotline isn't as bogus as it may sound. The hotline is piloted by New Jersey native Dr. Rob Gilbert from Montclair State University. Dr. Gilbert is one of the world's leading experts on sport psychology and a researcher of athletic motivation and teamwork. His findings focus on athletes winning games with their minds, not their muscles.
The hotline has been updated daily since 1992 and welcomes the listener with the specific amount of voicemails recorded (9,395 to date), a three-minute story and concludes with a powerful "message over" announcement.
On Sept. 9, the day the Rebels were washed of their undefeated record, Dr. Gilbert spoke about adversity and how the toughest times bring out the toughest athletes.
"The story seemed to match right what we were going through," said McRoberts. "It is all about using all the resources that you can, whether it is another coach, a book, or in this case, a voicemail."
Coach McRoberts relayed Dr. Gilbert's story to his team, and the Rebels went on to win five-set matches over Virginia Tech and Northwestern.
While the hotline is one aid for the Rebels, they are now in the heart of their conference schedule and face more hurdles than ever before. Nevertheless, the hardship does not change Coach McRoberts' objectives. He is continuously looking for ways to reinforce the core values to his team.
Message over.
