After four years as a standout right side player for the Fairfield University Stags, Caitlin Stapleton has joined Quinnipiac University as assistant volleyball coach–something she never thought was possible for a recent grad.

Last year, in her senior season at Fairfield, a new assistant coach, “straight out of college,” was hired to help the Stags. This gave Stapleton the idea that coaching right after college was an option for her.

“Seeing how knowledgeable she was and how much she helped and related to the players, really made me think this was possible,” Stapleton said. “I brought up the idea to [head coach] Kris [Czaplinski] and it just kind of happened from there.”

Stapleton brings both a winner’s mentality and history to the Bobcats that comes from leading the Stags to a winning season four times, something Quinnipiac needs after struggling since joining the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in 2013-14. She wants to instill confidence and leadership in the players since her coaches emphasized those qualities during her time at Fairfield.

“I’m trying to get these girls to understand how to lead, how to work hard, and what it looks like to work,” Stapleton said. Because Stapleton’s tactics are relatively new for this team and implementing them takes time, she thinks of the players as freshmen, and has learned to be patient with them.

Further, she is able to help players who sustain injuries better than most. This is in part because of a broken hand she suffered in her final preseason tournament last year. While devastating at the time, the injury turned out to be something that would help her in the future, especially in coaching.

“I always say everything happens for a reason and [this] did,” she said. “It made me a better player, a better person, and it made me see the game in ways I hadn’t before. That’s what I’m trying to relay to [the players].”

Stapleton isn’t sure what the future holds, but she hopes to stay at Quinnipiac for as long as the opportunity presents itself. Her main focus right now is helping the team this season and getting the Bobcats on a winning track.