CALDWELL, Idaho – Under the direction of head coach
Liz Mendiola, The College of Idaho has made 12 trips to the NAIA Volleyball National Championships and won the Cascade Conference regular-season and tournament titles eight times each.
Over the course of 19 seasons, she has led the team to a school-record 440 wins with 35 All-CCC selections, 19 NAIA All-Americans, 36 CCC All-Academic Team selections and 23 NAIA Scholar-Athletes.
As a credit to the consistency within the program, the Yotes were ranked in every NAIA Top-25 poll from 2005-2018.
Originally from the Magic Valley, where she attended Jerome High School - which boasted multiple successful programs during the 1990s - Mendiola has never been a stranger to success in competition.
At one point during her time at Jerome though, she almost decided to stop playing the very sport that she would eventually go on to have so much success in.
"After my sophomore year, I almost stopped playing volleyball because I was more of a basketball player at the time," Mendiola said. "Thankfully I didn't, and Brent Clark stepped in as the coach. At the time, he didn't know much about volleyball, but he was a great coach. We went from not winning any matches to qualifying for state my senior year. Considering I am now a college volleyball coach, I often wonder where I would be if Coach Clark hadn't taken over the program."
Fortunately for C of I, Coach Clark did take over for Jerome volleyball and sparked what would turn into a career in the sport for Mendiola.
Following her time at Jerome, Mendiola played volleyball and basketball at the College of Southern Idaho, where she says two key factors contributed to her eventually landing at C of I as a student-athlete.
"The College of Idaho volleyball coach at the time, George Scott, worked camps at CSI each summer. I got to know him through the camps and he recruited me during my sophomore year. What eventually sealed the deal for me was when my best friend, Heidi Prindle, committed to play here. Besides being my best friend, she was my setter at CSI, the best connection an outside hitter can have in volleyball."
Playing for first-year head coach Derek Soderblom in 1994, Prindle posted 824 assists and Mendiola tallied up a then school record 4.86 kills per set - a mark that would stand until Krystin Price posted 5.16 kills per set in 2002.
Prindle began her own journey in coaching at Treasure Valley Community College in 1995, eventually bringing TVCC to the regional playoffs for the first time in 19 years in 1997.
After marrying Jim Cartisser in 1998, Heidi coached at Chicago State for five years. She then returned to CSI in 2006 to take over for her alma mater, where she would lead the program to three national championships.
In 2001, Liz would take over as the head coach at C of I.
Years after they had starred as student-athletes themselves, best friends Heidi and Liz were now each in charge of their own programs
For Liz, coaching didn't initially come up on her radar as something that she thought she would want to get into.
"During college, I never really considered coaching, which is strange because athletics had played the biggest role in my life," Mendiola said. "After my playing career was over, the coach at the time, Derek Soderblom, asked me to be his assistant. I worked in that role for four years while I was teaching kindergarten. He led our program to its first NAIA National Tournament appearance in 2000 and afterwards, decided it was time for him to move away from Idaho. He asked me to apply for the position. I immediately began begging him to stay for another year, as I didn't feel ready to take over the program. He pushed me to apply, and Marty Holly took a chance on hiring me. I am forever grateful that Derek and Marty believed in me and gave me the opportunity."
Those who see the work Mendiola puts in on a daily basis know that the quality of the program she leads goes beyond the on the court success.
"Liz has continued to grow as a coach which shows - not just by the banners hanging in the gym - but also by how much her players love and respect her," said athletic director
Reagan Rossi. "She is truly a Yote through and through."
After Mendiola had not initially giving much consideration to coaching, her life would become even more centered around it when her husband, former C of I baseball player
Al Mendiola, took over as the head softball coach at C of I in 2006.
Since taking over in 2006, Al has guided the program to 388 wins.
While the success on the field has been immense, his biggest victory from his time on campus came much earlier than 2006.
"Al was a student assistant for the volleyball team during my junior season in college," Liz said. "After our season was over he asked me out on a date and the rest was history."
The two now work right down the hall from each other and have a daughter attending their alma mater, Aleah, a student-athlete in the softball program who hit .390 with three home runs and 15 RBI in the shortened season this spring. Their son Micah is involved in multiple sports as well and is a student at Middleton High School.
"If you had told me when we were first married that I could work down the hall from my husband and it would all be okay, I would have told you that you were crazy," Liz said. "Honestly, though, it is much more than okay – it has been great. We have amazing coaches all around us and we have so much fun in our department. Al and I bounce ideas off of each other, and we both understand the highs and lows of coaching, which is helpful when we want to celebrate something or need to vent."
She says that the family dynamic of the C of I campus has largely contributed to her and Al staying in their current positions for so long.
"This college is such a special place. The athletes we coach love their experiences here. It is easy to love the athletic side because we win, but they also love their experiences in classes and on campus. That combination makes C of I an easy sell to recruits. The family dynamic we have here and the support we receive is unmatched. Our kids were raised on campus and in our practices. The people we work with are truly their second family. The best part about having our daughter, Aleah, here at C of I is how much she loves the school. She is involved in many things outside of athletics and has her own identity here."
For the Mendiola's, being around the campus for so many years has allowed them to build a second family.
Rossi is one of the people who the Mendiola's have worked and spent time with in the athletic department since the beginning.
In 2001 - the same year that Liz took over as volleyball coach - Rossi became the head coach for the women's basketball program at C of I.
"One of the best things about starting as young head coaches - eager to prove ourselves - was also raising our kids together," Rossi said. "The TV and VCR that Liz and I shared along with Mark Owen, our men's basketball coach at the time, lived in my office. Aleah was two and would come down the hall to watch Disney movies with me. Al and Liz were a tremendous support when I was pregnant with my twins, and very much a part of their lives, as they were raised in our department. When Liz had her son Micah, we were on the road at OIT. About 45 minutes before our game, Al called to tell me that Liz had Micah. I asked how she was and asked about Micah, and I will never forget his response, 'I don't know I have to get back in there!'"
For Liz, C of I has been a place where countless memories have been formed, with more to come in the future.
"When I reflect on the athletes and coaches we have had throughout my years here, I get emotional. The impact they have had on our program has set a standard for excellence and left a legacy of greatness. Twenty years of coaching holds more memories than I have time to talk about. I feel extremely blessed and look forward to the upcoming years and the memories to be made."
