On Thursday, Nov. 3, Goshen College parted ways with women’s volleyball head coach, Kourtney Crawford.

The decision comes after three consecutive winless years in the Crossroads League for the volleyball team. In that stretch, the Leafs went 0-51 in conference play and 6-78 overall. In total, the team held a record of 14-105 (6-78 in the Crossroads League) under Crawford.

With a winning percentage of .117 in her four years at Goshen, the separation is perhaps unsurprising to many. 

Still, the volleyball team is reeling from Crawford’s departure. Gwyn Bellamy, a junior and captain on the team, described Thursday as “a very sad day. It was a very hard day. And it’s very hard to think about.”

The move came abruptly, and as a surprise to the team. According to Bellamy, the team had one-on-one meetings planned on Thursday to go over “what we should work on during the offseason on our own” and to get “little mini goals to get better.” Sadie Brenneman, a sophomo

re captain, said they were planning on “making plans for next year.

Those meetings never came.

“It was at like 8:00, 8:30, and I was asleep,” Brenneman recalled. “Christina [Towne, another player on the team] called me and said ‘Check your email right now,’ so I got up and checked it. It was a very formal [email]…‘Hey, guys, this will be Kourtney’s last day. Your meetings are canceled.’”

The team helped move Crawford out of her office, and just like that, she was gone.

At the time of this publication, there is still no public announcement from Goshen aside from a job posting for a new head coach — keeping in line with the school’s history of silence after splitting with coaches. 

The only communication from the school was a brief email from Erica Albertin, GC’s Athletic Director.

Albertin said: “We are grateful for Kourtney’s service at GC for the past three and a half years and we wish her well through this transition. Her last day was Thursday November 3. We are launching a national search for the next head coach of women’s volleyball at GC.”

Albertin’s statement came after repeated inquiry from The Record, after sources close to the department informed the paper that Crawford was asked to resign. 

The terms of the separation are still unclear, and the news had an air of secrecy to it. The only acknowledgement from the athletic department, prior to Albertin’s statement directly to The Record, was a job opening on Goshen’s website searching for a new head coach. The opening was posted on Friday, Nov. 4.

When asked for comment, Crawford simply said “I would rather not speak on it. But I will miss the team a lot!” 

The team will miss her too. “We’re a little lost right now,” Brenneman said. “We’re doing our best to keep the team together.”

Bellamy agreed with Brenneman, saying, “We’re all frustrated with what’s going on. And it’s hard to lose someone that important in your life.”

No interim coach had been named as of publication.