EDITOR'S NOTE - We sat down with Lee University's longest tenured head coach, Andrea Hudson as she reflected on 30 years as leader of the volleyball program. To watch the full interview visit the Lee University Flames Facebook page.

Q - Can you believe it's been 30 years, coach?

AH - It just seems like yesterday to be honest. Wow, 30 years that's a long time. 

Q - Takes us through the process of how you were hired to be the volleyball coach at Lee?

AH - After I graduated from Lee I started coaching the volleyball team at Bradley Junior High, now Ocoee Middle School. I had played volleyball in high school but when I came to Lee they didn't have volleyball so I played basketball. After I graduated I started taking mission trips to New Mexico and fell in love with the Native American people there. As a result I asked for a year off so I could spend a year teaching on the Indian Reservation. I coached volleyball and basketball in New Mexico and during that time the Lee volleyball position opened up so I decided to interview for the position. I was an alum and the program was just only three years old so I felt like it might be a good fit. I interviewed with Dr. Conn and here I am 30 years later.

Q - What's changed the most over 30 years?

AH - I grew up in Cleveland so I would say the most vivid thing that stands out is how the campus has grown over the years. It has become such a vibrant and beautiful campus with new buildings and facilities. From a volleyball stand point we have always had competitive teams but the game itself has evolved in so many ways over the last three decades. I sometimes get a chance to take a stroll down memory lane and watch game film from my early years and it really has become a much faster pace, powerful game throughout the years. I'm sure some of my players from those early years would say the uniforms have changed the most. We started with shorts and t-shirts before finally going to the standard spandex. 

Q - What team do you look forward to competing against the most?

AH - I would have to go back to my early years of coaching and say King College. Suzy Toomey was the coach and she would always encourage me as I was trying to build the program. We would play them so many times in one year the way the schedule was setup that we became good friends. It was a challenge playing against them but I felt like if I could beat her that would be a huge accomplishment. We had a lot of great battles with King over the years. Her daughter is a professor at Union but the really cool thing is her granddaughter, Anna Elliott now plays for me here at Lee. Suzy came to a game last year and was wearing a Lee shirt and that was just really cool moment for me to see that come full circle.

Q - What was the most memorable win of your career?

AH - We were in the NAIA Tournament and to that point we had never made it out of pool play. We went undefeated in pool play and won the Sweet 16 match to advance to the quarterfinals and play for a chance to go to the Final Four for the first time in program history. We were playing Northwestern out of Iowa and we were in Iowa and the arena was just filled with solid red, it was like playing at Nebraska. Everyone in the whole place is for Northwestern and we had a tiny corner of Lee fans. I never saw such a hunger in a team the night before as we were going over the gameplan. That game we just came out and executed perfectly. We shut down their best player and I remember when that last ball hit the ground Kevin (husband and assistant coach) looked at me and said, "we're in the Final Four". It was a moment I will never forget.

Q - What it's been like working alongside your husband, Kevin as your assistant coach for so many years?

AH - Kevin has been by my side on the bench for most of those 30 years and I'm grateful for the opportunity that we've had to do this together. I think we compliment each other well in our coaching styles. He has been a huge part of our success over the years. I lured him back to the bench a few years ago after he took a year off and he has been especially helpful in working with our setters and helping them maximize their abilities.

Q - Volley For A Cure has become a major event on the Lee campus each year. What inspired you to start Volley For A Cure?

AH - We had been thinking about doing a "pink" game for breast cancer awareness and we were looking at some different options. My sisters are really driven and connected to the community and they helped me establish Volley For A Cure. We wanted to keep the money local and we found out that the Mary Ellen Locher Foundation out of Chattanooga gave money to students whose families had been affected by breast cancer and awarded them a scholarship to go to college. Much of the money we raise is through t-shirt says and local business sponsors. If you've ever been to the event you know the highlight of the night is always the presentation of the scholarship to the family. For 12 years we've been able to raise anywhere from $10,000-$20,000 per year. The event continues to grow and we are really proud of what it has become. I hope when I'm done coaching it continues to be a staple of the Lee volleyball program.

Q - What makes Lee so special to you?

AH - I've loved the opportunity to stay here for so many years. I know many coaches in volleyball, especially today, hop around from job to job and I've been fortunate to stay her for my whole career. Coach Carpenter has been my only AD and Dr. Conn has been the only president that I've coached under so that is rare and very special. I tell our recruits all the time that this really is a great place to be and I think once they get on campus they find that out for themselves.