Alumni Spotlight: Ellen (Hayes) Yopchick

CHICAGO - When asked about her advice for the young women of DePaul volleyball's 50^th anniversary team, Ellen Yopchick simply said "Keep moving forward."

The Evergreen Park, Ill. native was no stranger to following her own advice, redshirting her freshman year at DePaul, and working to return to volleyball after an ACL injury in the opening weekend of conference play left her sidelined for her junior season.

She rebounded well, being described as "fearless" and "hard-working" by then-head coach Dawn Dockstader, and earning the DePaul University Outstanding Senior Award as a three-time team captain.

Despite her initial struggles on the path to success, Yopchick cites those challenges as preparation for her future career.

"It was through that experience, having to sit out and see the game from another perspective for so long, that piqued my interest in finding a way to incorporate volleyball into the rest of my life."

After completing her undergraduate degree at DePaul, her first step into the coaching world was a graduate assistantship with the volleyball team at Marshall University.

It was only a matter of time before she ultimately returned home to Chicago, becoming an assistant at UIC for eight years under Katie Schumacher-Cauley. She credits Katie for helping her grow as a coach, mentor, and even as a mother.

During her time at UIC, she was one of just 11 assistant coaches in the nation to earn the 2011 AVCA "Thirty Under 30" award, for her commitment to scholarship, volleyball, and the development of female student-athletes. She was instrumental in creating a strong culture at UIC and led all recruiting activities.

Upon conclusion of the 2016 season, she knew it was time to move forward yet again, as Schumacher-Cauley departed the UIC program and Yopchick herself was pregnant with her second child.

"For whatever reason I just felt that it was time to make a change. I can't even put my finger on it. I wanted to stay in the Chicago area, but I didn't really know what that entailed."

So when St. Laurence High School, just down the street from where Yopchick grew up, was beginning their co-educational volleyball program, she knew it would be a perfect fit.

Ultimately, her knowledge of volleyball and her DePaul degree from the School of Education became the potent combination that propelled Yopchick into great success at St. Laurence.

"I was totally prepared coming out of DePaul's School of Education to truly jump into the classroom. Even though I hadn't been in one in ten years, I was able to hit the ground running. I'm super grateful for my experience at DePaul."

Teaching during the day and coaching in the afternoons, she prepares her young student-athletes for the world ahead, both on and off the court.

"We train here for volleyball matches and to be competitive and to win, but also at the same time to be strong female strong leaders when they leave here."

The number one lesson she imparts on her athletes roots back to her years at DePaul.

"The value of resiliency. Being able to take those moments where aren't going the way you want, whether in your personal life or your career, and finding a way to come back from it, is so important."

Yopchick continues to reside in Chicago with her husband, Dan, who works as the Chief Communications Officer for the Village of Oak Park, and their four children, Grace, Emma, Charlie, and Nolan.

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