Rita Self steps down as Henry volleyball coach

When the Henry-Senachwine volleyball team lost to Illini Bluffs in the Class 1A Williamsfield Sectional championship in November, it turned out to be the final match for Henry coach Rita Self.

It was a fitting bookend for Self as she played her junior high and high school volleyball at Williamsfield.

Self has stepped down as the Mallards coach after leading the program for 17 seasons over two stints, going 201-296 with two regional championships.

Self’s best season was her last as she guided the Mallards to a 30-8 record, which is a program record for wins, as well as the Tri-County Conference Tournament championships and the team’s first regional title since 2010.

“I started my career and ended it in the same place,” Self said. “That was kind of nostalgic a little bit for me. Getting my 200th win this season was nice. There were a lot of milestones. We had one of the best seasons we’ve had since the beginning of IHSA volleyball. I think there were a lot of things that were positive that are going to be great memories. It’s a good time to go out feeling like all this time has paid off.”

Self said she decided to resign to spend more time with family. Her daughter, Hope, will be a senior on the Millikin University volleyball team in the fall.

“I never thought of myself as a lifer,” Self said. “I always knew there was going to be a day where I was going to hang it up. I just needed to find the right time. I want to be able to go and support (Hope) and be available for senior day and things like that. My mom is getting older. I don’t know how to do anything halfway, so when I’m head coach, I spent a lot of time in the summer. It’s time for me to be available for my family since they’ve kind of taken a back seat for many years.

“Someone told me you’ll know when it’s time, and I feel like it’s a perfect time for me.”

Self coached the Mallards from 2003-11 and 2017-24.

When Self started her second stint, she inherited a team that went winless the season before and built it into a program that has had winning seasons in three of the last four years.

“It took commitment through the whole program,” Self said. “I started a club program when my daughter was in grade school in 2015. We had done Eastside (Volleyball Club) with her and I realized taking her there was kind of a waste if we weren’t building a program. So we started a satellite club in Henry and the girls in high school now played in that program when they were 8, 9, 10. We’re seeing the impact now of starting a youth program in our community that was available to more kids.”

Self said it took a group effort to launch the club and now see its impact.

“When I started that program, I was hoping to get one team and we ended up with three or four the first year because we had volunteers willing to coach,” Self said. “We had our own gym for free. We kept our costs really low to make it as available to as many kids as we could.

“By all means I was not the key ingredient. I’m not taking all or any of that credit. It’s been the work that everybody’s done. That’s really what’s built volleyball at Henry is the buy-in throughout.”

The Mallards do graduate a pair of NewsTribune All-Area first-team picks in setter Lauren Harbison and hitter Kaitlyn Anderson, but Self feels the cupboard is not bare.

“I’m handing it over to somebody with still lots of irons in the fire,” Self said. “Leaving it better than when I started has always been a goal. I want it to be a positive transition. I want it to be positive for the next person and for the kids. I’m hopeful there will be interest, especially since it’s a group of kids who had success this year.”

Self is staying on as school counselor and athletic director so she will have a hand in hiring her replacement.

“When my heart is that far into it, I do want to make sure it’s being put into good hands,” Self said. “I’m confident that will happen and we’ll continue to move forward.”