Since its birth in 2021, Wabash volleyball has only seen improvement year-after-year. But this season, the jump in performance was a massive leap. Assistant Volleyball Coach Marcela Dominguez has played an undeniable role in the program’s breakout season.
While the program’s foundation remains under Head Volleyball Coach Ashaun Baker, Dominguez’s expertise has brought a new level of physical preparation and confidence to the players. With her guidance, the Little Giants have taken more strides forward, competing among the best in the Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League.
Dominguez is no stranger to Baker’s coaching philosophy, as after she worked in Germany to begin her coaching career, she was his assistant at McCutcheon High School. From there, the relationship took off and Baker had an easy decision for who to bring on board to Wabash.
“I started as a strength and conditioning coach, then I joined Coach Baker as a volleyball coach,” said Dominguez. “After a year, I got the opportunity to join Wabash as more of a part time staffer, specializing in strength and conditioning once again.”
“Together, we built the McCutcheon volleyball program from the ground up,” said Baker. “It’s really meaningful to bring your staff with you when going to different places. Coach Dominguez brings love and personality, which is something that Wabash student-athletes need to experience.”
While Baker is mostly responsible for game strategy, Dominguez serves a crucial role in strength and conditioning. Her expertise has helped the team develop explosiveness and overall athleticism, improvements that have been evident through their performance on the volleyball court.
“We do general testing like the vertical jump, 10-yard split stance and reaction strength index,” said Dominguez. “These all give me objective measurements on how much they’re exerting their bodies in the weight room.”
“Everyone has generally been healthier this season than we have been in past seasons,” said Opposite Patrick Volk ’26. “We’ve been jumping higher than we have before, being more agile, playing better defense and blocking better. All the physical results are there and the team recognizes those results are why we’re putting our full trust in her.”
Outside of basic strength training, Dominguez also values how her athletes are taking care of themselves outside of practice.
“I started conducting wellness questionnaires at 6am every single day, so I knew what was going on before the players could even tell me,” said Dominguez. “I was tracking their hours of sleep, what they were eating, how sore they were, if they were tired and judging if they were under academic stress.”
With Dominguez’s training methods in place, players have not only grown stronger, but more confident in different aspects of their game, which has been noticeable this season. With two games remaining, the team has already set a program record of kills per set (12.1) and Outside Hitter Bawibawi Thang ’27 extended his school record of kills in a season (331). Together, Baker and Dominguez have reset the standard and put the volleyball program on an upward trajectory.
“Coach Dominguez has set the expectation that there’s more to being an athlete outside of the confines of the court,” said Baker. “We can attack their strength, agility and mobility, but we put it on our guys to value mindset, nutrition and things like that to take the next step as a group.”
While winning remains a key piece of Wabash volleyball’s culture, Coach Dominguez remains committed to building personal relationships with her players. She wants to be more than just a coach, she wants to be a mentor who helps her athletes grow as individuals and competitors.
“I like the challenge of being a woman in a men’s college because I can bring other types of perspectives and points of view,” said Dominguez. “I want to help them see that being committed with a team is more than just showing up in practice. It’s about how you handle your priorities and daily activities. I know that personal life affects performance, so I try to be involved when they need me for things beyond volleyball.”
With Coach Dominguez’s impact on strength and conditioning, a young roster and the foundation of a record-setting season, the outlook of Wabash volleyball has never looked brighter. As long as the team is under Baker’s and Dominguez’s guidance, there are no limits to what this program can achieve in the near future.