Bechard successor Matt Ulmer brings a very similar approach

It’s far too early to make any concrete declarations about the job new Kansas volleyball coach Matt Ulmer will do with the Jayhawks.

Not only has Ulmer barely had time to change the wording in his Twitter bio from Oregon to Kansas, but he also has not yet held a practice at Kansas and is still in the process of finalizing the roster and his coaching staff for the 2025 season.

But if Tuesday’s official introduction at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena was any indication of how those things might go, it sure appears that Ulmer is on the right track.

And the main reason is simple. He’s not making this about him. He’s making it about the athletes he’ll coach.

Most of them he just met. But he’s already starting to speak their language.

In explaining to those gathered at Horejsi why he decided to leave Oregon to take this job, Ulmer made clear the reverence he has for outgoing KU coach Ray Bechard, a man who not only built the Kansas volleyball program into what it is today but the same guy who also recruited and coached most of the women who will make up Ulmer’s first KU team.

“I hope I get 27 years to do what you've done,” Ulmer told Bechard during his turn on the microphone. “But I promise my staff, my family and I will do everything that we can to continue on what you’ve done and impact student-athletes’ lives in a positive way… The example that you’ve shown, it’s why I do what I do.”

Bechard is beloved by that bunch as a true part of each and every one of their families.

And, as it turns out, he’s also beloved — or at least heavily admired — by Ulmer, as well.

Long before Ulmer had so much as an inkling of an idea that he might follow Bechard at Kansas, he sent him a text congratulating him on a great career the night Bechard announced his retirement back in December.

And then, on Tuesday, both before and after his official introduction, Ulmer was at Horejsi doing his best Ray Bechard impersonation – smiling, laughing and connecting with the players he will soon coach.

Not because he feels the need to love them up on off days so he can get after them behind closed doors. Instead, because Ulmer, like Bechard, believes that that’s the best way to build something of substance. Through being your genuine self, leading with respect and appreciation and working hard on top of that foundation.

That’s the way Bechard approached it. And if Ulmer approaches it the same way, and succeeds in doing so, it’s not hard to predict that there will be more bright days ahead for the program.

In the aftermath of Ulmer’s decision to leave Oregon and come to KU, a handful of people who were with him at Oregon, from current and former players to the Oregon administration, painted a picture of him approaching the job with the Ducks the same way Bechard did at Kansas.

That, KU AD Travis Goff said, was what made Ulmer such an obvious choice and the right fit to follow in Bechard’s shoes.

Family-oriented. Rooted in hard work and humility. And built upon a never-ending drive to keep elevating the program while shooting for the stars.

Again, not for Ulmer but for the athletes he coaches.

He doubled down on that idea on Tuesday, explaining on a couple of occasions during his introduction that the work he put in will be for his players.

That, of course, means more than a few hugs and high-fives on introduction day. But it’s not like they were going to roll the balls out and let Ulmer get to work on the court. He and his family had a flight to catch, so they could get back to work on relocating to Lawrence as soon as possible.

But it was clear that the players took priority on Tuesday. Just as they did under Ulmer at Oregon and just as they will for what he hopes will be a long time at Kansas.

"I want to be a great steward of what’s been given and to what you guys need," he said during his brief remarks on Tuesday. "So, for past Jayhawks, current Jayhawks, future Jayhawks, we will give you everything that we have to give you your best opportunity to reach your goals and enjoy your student-athlete experience the way you should."

With Bechard and his wife Pam on hand for the festivities, Tuesday was in a very real way a passing of the torch at the helm of the Kansas volleyball program. Goff said as much while addressing the crowd to kick things off, but all you needed to see to know it was true was the way Ulmer interacted with his team.

"When you think about fit, what is it that makes fit work," Goff asked. "If you asked five people, you would get five sort of different answers. But we at Kansas know what it is when we see it, and, in this case, Matt, (wife) Kara and the family have it in spades."

As Goff noted, past success, character, commitment and hunger are a part of that. But, so, too, is the family feel that Bechard always created and Ulmer plans to continue at Kansas.

"The track record speaks for itself," Goff said. "The resumé stands apart in the highest levels of intercollegiate athletics volleyball – top-10 type credentials — when you think about his success at the University of Oregon, the kind of human he is, with the integrity, with the character, with his commitment to developing supporting and catapulting young women in the next chapters of their lives. You could hear your story after story about this idea that the Oregon volleyball family was truly that, it was a family, that letter winners would converge upon Eugene every single fall to have a chance just to be back together."

There will be bumps in the road and big time challenges and ups and downs. Every coaching change brings those. But because Ulmer operates the way Bechard always did, the change in leadership at the top of the Kansas volleyball ladder figures to be as smooth as they get.

"Seldom do you get a transition like this," Bechard said Tuesday. "I think that speaks volumes. The hope was that there would be as little collateral damage as possible. Not that it’s going to be seamless, but it’s gone well.”

Added Ulmer: "I'm overwhelmed because I just I feel so lucky; I could pinch myself," Ulmer said while reiterating his appreciation for taking over for Bechard. "I’m just really grateful for this opportunity."

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