Alexa Keckler Brings Energy, New Culture to Lehigh Volleyball

In her 13 seasons coaching volleyball in the NCAA’s Division III Centennial Conference, Alexa Keckler racked up wins and compiled an impressive resume.

Keckler became the winningest coach in Muhlenberg College history after eight seasons and took the program from six wins in her first year at the Allentown college to making the playoffs four of the past five seasons. Last year’s team was ranked fifth nationally in the Division III Mid-Atlantic region, the highest ever for Muhlenberg volleyball.

Dating back to the beginning of her collegiate coaching career at Gettysburg, Keckler led her teams to nine postseason appearances. She leaves the Centennial Conference third in career regular season wins (88) and fourth in playoff wins (7).

But it’s not just Keckler’s accomplishments that stand out, it’s her energy, which was a factor in winning the job at Lehigh.

“It is evident that the qualities that stood out during her interview process are true to life,” Stacy Shiffert, associate director of athletics, says. “She is energetic and passionate about the sport, has an appreciation for the student-athlete lifestyle and has embraced our mission of holistic student-athlete development.”

Keckler, who replaced Bob Bertucci after he stepped down following six years as head coach, says her energy comes naturally. It’s who she is, it’s her personality, she says.

“Embracing the opportunity is kind of where my excitement comes from, but I love volleyball,” Keckler says. “I love being in a gym. I haven’t really known life since I was born any other way.”

Keckler also notices that the energy she brings is contagious among her players.

“I’m a huge believer in the whole energy vampire kind of thing,” Keckler says. “We feed off of each other. Body language, tone, all of those things make a huge difference. So if we come into practice and there’s just one person who is not having a great day, and kind of just down and out, it really does take a lot of energy away from everybody else. We talk about being givers. Give the energy, share your voice and be a presence when you’re there.”

In her previous stops, creating a culture—one that was made up of players who understood the values and expectations set—and having the student-athletes buy in, was a priority. Making sure everyone knew where the program was, where they wanted it to go and continually raising the bar was also important.

Unlike at Muhlenberg, Keckler is starting with an already successful program at Lehigh. She acknowledges she’s fortunate to have a great deal of talent to work with—and the girls are extremely competitive—but Keckler still spent the summer implementing a new culture.

“For the most part, they’ve been excited about having that stronger accountability of behaviors and performances on the court and in the weight room and in the classroom,” Keckler says.

As far as expectations this season, Keckler is most focused on the direction of the program, not necessarily wins and losses. She wants them to win by going through the process correctly. But in raising the bar, she also wanted to see her team top last year’s 18 wins, and advance past where the 2017 season ended—the Patriot League semifinals. On Nov. 4 they picked up their 19th victory.

What drew Keckler to the Division I program was the type of students at Lehigh. Having been in higher education for 13 years, at institutions she says required a lot from their student-athletes, it’s something she values.

“Embracing all of the opportunities that Lehigh has I think for me was like, ‘Wow, I feel like it’s the best of both worlds,’” Keckler says. “You’re getting a fabulous education that’s challenging and preparing you for a great future, but you also have the ability to play at a competitive Division I program that values and embraces you as an athlete.”