The NJCAA is running a 2024-25 school year featured series on some of the organization's biggest sports storylines.
Champaign, IL: If you have been around NJCAA Division II Volleyball over the last decade, Parkland College (IL) has been a team to watch every season. Since 2009, head coach Cliff Hastings has led the Cobras to many impressive finishes. This includes three national championships, five runner-up finishes, and three third-place finishes at the NJCAA National Championship. In fact, between 2012 and 2022, Parkland only finished lower than third place one time across said span. The Cobras have also reached at least the semifinals each year since 2012.
"I started coaching high school volleyball immediately after I graduated college. During my first few years of coaching, I was trying to coach them like coaches had coached me, and I immediately recognized that I was not connecting and working. That allowed me to define my goals and what I wanted to accomplish," Parkland head volleyball coach Cliff Hastings said.
Over Hastings's career, he has accumulated an incredible 735-65 (.919) record and was inducted into the NJCAA Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2018. Over 30 student-athletes have been named to the NJCAA Division II All-America teams. In addition, over 40 student-athletes have moved on to four-year schools.
Hastings's first national championship came in 2015 and was one for the record books. Led by Sofi Kelemete, named the Tournament Most Valuable Player, the Cobras became the first NJCAA Division II Volleyball team to complete a perfect season at 57-0. The Cobras defeated Harcum (PA), Cowley (KS), and Des Moines Area (IA) en route to the national championship game against conference foe Lincoln Land (IL). Parkland defeated the Loggers 3-1 (25-15, 25-19, 25-19) in impressive fashion. Lizzy Barnard and Laura Gross each earned 10+ kills in the match, with Kelemete finishing with seven clocks and eight kills. The team was named to the Parkland College Hall of Fame in 2021. This was the second volleyball national championship in program history. 
The 2015 squad also featured Kelly Lean, who went on to have an outstanding volleyball career after Parkland. The Australian native went on to the University of Tennessee Martin in both court and beach volleyball. Lean would become a captain for the Australian national team. She led them to the nation's first international win in 2019 in the Polish Cup, where she was also named the Most Valuable Player.
"She was seen as a sports star in Australia, being the team's captain. So that's been cool to follow her," Hastings said.
Despite all these accomplishments, winning has not and will not be the priority. Creating a fun-filled environment for his student-athletes to grow as volleyball players and, more importantly, people.
"I saw these young women who had goals, and their goals that I thought they should have were about winning, and the goals they had were about making friends, making relationships, trying to figure out how to be confident in their life, trying to figure out their path in life," Hastings said.
While only one team can be crowned a national champion each season, many Parkland players learn about themselves and create bonds with each other that will last 10, 20, and 30 years from now.
"My proudest accomplishment was when I figured out that it wasn't about winning a championship. This is about having many young women who finish the season and go; that was awesome and life-changing. I have made the best friends of my life. That was my aha moment of why I do this," Hastings said.
This year's squad is ranked No. 4 in the nation with a record of 33-2. Seven of those wins have come against teams ranked during the match, and both losses have been against teams ranked within the top-5. Sophomore DS Libby Bodine leads the country with 699 digs on the season.
Beyond the student-athletes, Coach Hastings's staff has played a significant role in his life off and on the court. The current staff consists of Cliff, his husband's assistant coach, Ron, and many other coaches, each serving a vital role. Each has strengths and weaknesses that play off each other and help create an environment where the student-athletes can be themselves and have different people to go to about various things.
"My husband has been my primary assistant coach all of these years. He and I are both competitive people, so while I am very honest and authentic in my kumbaya style of coaching. When it's the fifth set and the score is 10 to 10, we're both stressed and may say mean things to each other at that moment. We want to win as badly as the other. ," Hastings said.
Many of them are former Parkland players or have played college volleyball, and they can relate to the student-athletes in ways that coach Hastings can not.
"They have this unique asset where they can relate their experiences to the current players' experiences. That "I've been there" piece and telling them that this is hard and how to combat it. They can also talk about things I can not relate to, such as what they will wear. They're all incredible at that and have a big impact on keeping us together and giving the kids what they need," Hastings said.
Parkland volleyball has significantly impacted NJCAA volleyball over the last decade. Seeing how one of the best programs in the country operates has been an excellent opportunity.
Follow along the remainder of Parkland's 2024 season, and they continue to play for a spot at the 2024 NJCAA Division II Volleyball Championship in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Photo credit: Rob Rhilts