Phillips turns volleyball passion into championship program for Freeport

Brittney Bianco house sits every summer for her grandfather, Tom Phillips, and his wife, Jamie, when they go on their traditional one-week vacation.

It doesn't take long for Bianco's phone to begin buzzing with text messages from Phillips, the Freeport girls volleyball coach, looking for updates on the summer sand volleyball league he hosts on the three outdoor courts at his house.

“I have him texting me every day: ‘What are the girls doing? How is the game? How's practice?' ” said Bianco, a former Freeport player who now plays at Butler County Community College. “I'll say, ‘Coach — chill (for) one week away.' ”

But Phillips' dedication to his craft made him one of the most successful volleyball coaches in the WPIAL since he took over Freeport's program in 2002. His résuméincludes more than 270 victories, including three WPIAL Class AA championships and two runner-up finishes, 15 consecutive WPIAL playoff appearances and 12 straight section titles.

“He loves cutting his grass. He'll cut his grass until it's dirt — I'm serious,” Bianco said. “But really, his life revolves around volleyball. He goes to work, comes to practice, goes home, watches volleyball.”

‘The volleyball bug really bit me'

A 1971 Freeport graduate, Phillips didn't begin playing volleyball until he was 25 years old, when he and his wife joined a coed league at Freeport's junior high.

It didn't take long for the game to become one of Phillips' biggest passions. He joined a league with other men, traveling all over to compete in tournaments — including winning the Ohio state championship with a 45-and-older team — and installed three sand volleyball courts at his house, where he hosts matches for high schoolers and older players alike.

“Once I started playing, I just couldn't get enough,” said Phillips, 63, who also ran leagues and sanctioned tournaments at his house as a onetime regional director for the Association of Volleyball Professionals. “The volleyball bug really bit me.”

He became Freeport's coach in 2001 after his stepson, Tony Corso, the junior varsity coach, asked him to attend a JV match and provide some input on the team. He interviewed soon afterward for the varsity position and got the job.

At the time, Freeport's program was struggling, with no postseason appearances since 1984. Phillips led the Yellowjackets to the playoffs in his first season, 2002, and hasn't missed since.

“He's a really smart opponent,” said Knoch coach Diane Geist, who has coached against Phillips from the beginning. “He knows ways to win. Maybe he doesn't have his big hitter anymore, but he'll find other ways to win. He's very smart, and I think that's what you want to have as a coach, somebody who can figure things out, make adjustments and win games.”

The Yellowjackets began their run of 12 straight section titles in 2005 — the program's only previous one came in 1982 — snapped a 26-year state playoff drought in 2009 and won their first WPIAL championship in 2010, following that with two more in '13 and '15.

“I remember how happy he was when he won and having the fire trucks escort us into the school, and everybody was outside cheering,” said Lynsey Gugino, a senior on the 2010 team. “He loved that moment, and to see him that happy, I was glad we could do it for him.”

Phillips said his mission from the beginning was to “churn out good girls that were quality athletes and not only were volleyball players but were fine, upstanding young ladies.”

“That was my goal, and to make them aspire to love the game like I do,” he said. “I think that has happened in this program. There are so many girls that enjoy coming to practice and enjoy working hard. We do a very tough summer workout every year. For us, volleyball is 365 days a year. There's no end.”

‘It's a family-run thing'

Phillips had one major worry when he became Freeport's coach: a father to a stepson and son, Jarrod, but no daughters, he didn't know how he would relate to high school girls.

He managed to adapt quickly, and he said he currently treats the team as an especially large extended family. His wife, Jamie, helps with many of the behind-the-scene aspects of running his team. His stepson and son have coached with him.

“It's a family-run thing with us,” Phillips said. “This year, I've got 26 daughters, and every year it's kind of the same thing, just a different number.”

Phillips recently hosted a Halloween party at his house for the team, complete with prizes for best costume and hot apple cider, one of many get-togethers he has throughout the year.

“It's definitely a family-like atmosphere,” senior Maggie Ward said. “His wife, we call her Mrs. Coach. She's a very motherly figure to our program and a lot of the girls. They really care about all of us.”

Phillips said he tracks his players' grades and school behavior closely, and he's honest with them about their play.

“I don't try to sugarcoat things to them,” he said. “If you have bad games, I'm not afraid to tell you. And I think girls respect that fact.”

Although Phillips attempts to maintain a laid-back demeanor on the sidelines, he has his tells.

“You know something bad happens whenever he takes his hat off or throws his clipboard,” senior Maddie Christy said. “He always calls me ‘Mad Dog,' so whenever he refers to me as my actual name, that's when I know I did something wrong. It's like, ‘Oh, no.' ”

But Phillips' intense moments can pay off, too. Before the deciding fifth game in a 2013 WPIAL semifinal match against Knoch, Phillips gathered his players together and led a chant of “I believe that we will win.”

Freeport won the match and went on to win the WPIAL title.

“I will forever remember that moment because he just looked at us, and from that moment, he just sparked a fire in everyone on the court and on the bench,” Ward said.

‘I enjoy my job'

Volleyball caused Phillips to undergo five shoulder surgeries — “I remember one time he was in a sling, hitting with the other arm,” said Carlie Bieranowski, a former all-state player and current assistant.

The sport takes up much of Phillips' life as he coaches Freeport's middle school and varsity teams, Junior Olympic teams in the winter and hosts the Big Valley Sand League at his house in the summer.

But while he said he looks “down the road” sometimes, he doesn't anticipate stopping soon.

“Volleyball is just a really big part of my life,” he said. “I still enjoy playing the game, I still enjoy coming to practice and working these girls hard and having what I consider a top-notch program. I enjoy my job, I really do.”

Phillips once again has Freeport, the No. 2 seed in Class AA, in contention for a WPIAL title. But he said he takes the most pride in having players go on to have success in college. Several have become coaches themselves.

“Even myself sometimes, I'm a little taken aback by it,” said Phillips, who was honored this season with a brick marking his achievements that will be put at the entrance of the new Freeport Area Athletic Stadium. “But it's just one of those things where year in and year out, we just come in and put our noses to the grindstone and just keep working. Ultimately, we try to put out the best team that we can, the most competitive team that we have.”

Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter @dgulasy_Trib.