Skeen Leads Women’s Volleyball as New Head Coach

In early April, Katie Skeen was announced as Toccoa Falls College’s new Head Coach for women’s volleyball. Skeen is the current Resident Director of Fant and LeTourneau halls, which house primarily freshman and sophomore women on lower campus. 

A volleyball student-athlete herself, Skeen graduated from TFC in 2019 with an undergraduate degree in Counseling Psychology. She stepped into the role of RD later that year, in which she oversees a team of Resident Assistants, including two Assistant Resident Directors. In December 2020, she married her husband, RJ, who is also a TFC alumni and former student-athlete for TFC baseball. Skeen entered into TFC’s Marriage and Family Therapy Graduate Program in the fall of 2021.  

During her college career, Skeen was named to multiple First and Second All-Region teams and was recognized as a scholar athlete and AVCA Second Team All American. In her senior year, she received her most meaningful recognition: the “Game Plan 4 Life” character award at the NCCAA DII National Tournament. 

“It reflected my desire to show Christ first no matter how ‘good’ I was at my chosen sport,” Skeen said. “When we get to Heaven, we won’t take our trophies with us or be asked about our accomplishments, (but) we will be judged on if we accepted Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and if we loved God and others. Everything else fades in light of those things.”

Along with being a full-time student and Resident Assistant during her college years, Skeen made her relationship with Christ a priority as she pursued her volleyball career. 

“Sports are one of the greatest stages for sharing the Gospel, and I wanted nothing more than for people to see Christ when I played,” Skeen said. “Christians have a hard time balancing sports and faith because it is so easy to grow self-centered and self-focused. With the influence of the Holy Spirit and strong believers, this was challenged in my own life, and I told myself I didn’t want to play if it ever stopped being about Christ.”

She says her college coach, Selina Slate, furthered the principle of sports without Christ being meaningless. 

“(Slate) taught and exemplified dying to self daily and continuing to be a great competitor that also prioritized Truth and my teammates,” Skeen said. 

Skeen says she was fortunate to have Slate’s leadership because she encouraged the team to be more than just athletes. As a result, Skeen had the opportunity to serve on Residence Life and intersect with people from all backgrounds. 

“This was humbling, and continues to be humbling now as I serve in ResLife as my full time role, because it pulled me outside of my own worldviews into the experiences of others,” Skeen said. “The Lord used this campus ministry to open my eyes and heart to love others where they were at and to sanctify me and challenge the sin in my own life.”

Because of her love for the sport and willingness to work hard, Skeen says she cannot recall a single year in which she grew tired of volleyball. Still, she knew there’s always going to be someone younger, stronger, and faster, so she pushed herself to be the best she could be on the court by training significantly off the court to stay strong and competitive. Skeen says this view was heavily influenced by her high school trainer, who invested countless hours in her strength, agility, mobility, and mental toughness to help her reach her goal of competing on a college level. 

Skeen will draw from her experience to lead TFC’s women’s volleyball team next season. So far, she is impressed with the team because they are stellar athletes who work well together on the court, are welcoming and accepting toward new recruits and each other, and have great work ethic. 

“Each one has completed the off-court training required of them each week! I’m so impressed by their desire to get better,” Skeen said. “I think we have a real shot at taking the region title and heading to nationals again – only if the girls put in the work and die to self daily to accomplish those things as a team!”

While the regional championship title is one of her goals for the upcoming year, her primary desire is to see each team member grow towards passions and opportunities on campus to pursue where the Lord is leading them. 

“My hope is that volleyball is an avenue the Lord uses to sanctify and lead the girls to His will for their lives,” Skeen said. 

The 2023-2024 women’s volleyball team roster includes many returners who experienced the NCCAA DII National Championship last year, not all of which was positive after the sudden departure of former head coach, Jose Torres, during the competition. However, Skeen says she is excited to build relationships with the returning and incoming players. 

“More than anything, I just want to be Christ-like and consistent with the girls. I want them to know and trust I can guide them in their goals regarding volleyball, but more than anything I will be regularly going to battle by praying over them,” Skeen said. “That’s really the best I can offer them – Jesus.”