At 6'7" with long arms that seem to stretch all the way to the top of the gym, Tom Hulse is an imposing figure on the volleyball court. And when the former NCAA star talked about the game he loves so well the Foxcroft students listened intently, hanging on every word.
Hulse was part of a coaching group that gave a three-hour volleyball clinic at Foxcroft on Saturday, Oct. 9. Seventeen students, most of the varsity and junior varsity team members, turned out for the clinic which focused on the basics of the game. Eric and Jessica Martin of Alexandria and Foxcroft varsity volleyball coach Elizabeth McComas joined Hulse as coaches for the clinic.
Using three volleyball courts set up in the Engelhard and Leipheimer gyms, Hulse presented lessons in passing, serving, blocking and hitting. After each instructional talk the students were divided into groups to practice the skills.
At the end of the three-hour session, the four coaches were joined by three other instructors -- two women and one man -- from the area for a four-on-three exhibition match. The match was greeted enthusiastically by a crowd of about 50 students,faculty and administrators, who watched in amazement at the athleticism and power volleyball displayed by the participants.
“It was a great clinic and we learned a lot,” Foxcroft senior and varsity co-captain Cynthia O. told Hulse. Each of the visitors was presented with a Foxcroft water bottle and McComas received a special gift from the girls.
Hulse, who lives in Arlington, VA, and works for a bank in Washington, DC, was a member of the Pepperdine University team in 2005 that upset UCLA for the NCAA championship. During his four years at the California college, Pepperdine compiled an astounding 63-5 record and was ranked No. 1 each season. He is a former junior college coach and continues to play volleyball in several recreational leagues.
Martin, a graphic artist who works in Alexandria, played club volleyball at James Madison University; his wife, Jessica, was a member of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County’s intercollegiate team.