Stevie Fremouw faced a decision this past summer. 

In the end, she knew the right call was to return to Iowa Central.

Fremouw, a two-year member of the Iowa Central volleyball team as a player, was a student assistant coach for Sara Horn this past fall. 

"Leaving Iowa Central was originally a hard decision for me since it was such a good school to me athletically and educationally speaking," Fremouw said. "The reason I decided to transfer in the first place was to excel on at Presentation College in South Dakota while playing and continuing nursing. However, the nursing courses did not add up with my current curriculum so I had to choose between volleyball and my career."

Facing such a critical choice, Fremouw knew who to reach out to.

"Coach Horn has always kept a close relationship with all her players and alumni," Fremouw said. "I was very torn in my decision and called her for advice actually. We had a conversation about the pros and cons and ultimately I decided to choose nursing. Once I told her I was continuing at Iowa Central and moving back to Iowa, she proposed a student coaching position."

The Tritons recently won their second consecutive ICCAC regular season title, earning a Top-10 national ranking during the year.

Having spent two seasons on the roster as a player after graduating from Rich East High School in Park Forest, Illinois, Fremouw already knew several members of the Iowa Central roster. She understood that there would be an adjustment period between those knowing her as a teammate before and now a coach.

"At first I was very unsure how the girls who were freshmen during my sophomore season would react to me now being a coach figure to them," she said. "The transition between friend and coach made me nervous. I had very close relationships with the girls and consider them all little sisters. When I first decided to come back and announced my position, the girls automatically loved it. They were so excited and still considered me a big sister, but gave me the respect of a coach. They listened to me, asked questions and even called me coach - which made me smile every time." 

There was also a change in the duties for Fremouw from player to coach which took an adjustment period. 

"The coaching role is not easy," Fremouw said. "I give complete credit to Coach Horn for the countless hours she put in between organizing tournament, ordering lunches, transportation, hotels and keeping up with social media and still supporting each player and forming relationships personally. Not to mention having her own life and family. There is so much more than just winning and losing games and going to practice everyday.

"I never saw myself being a coach ever. Between nursing and working, I wish I could invest myself 100 percent into coaching and volleyball. My favorite part of being a coach was watching the girls grow, knowing them each personally and seeing the amazing things they accomplished on and off the court was so moving."

Having been on the other side just a few months prior also helped Fremouw better understand what the players were going through both on and off the court at Iowa Central. 

"Being a player so freshly off the team really helped I feel," she said. "Not only was I able to look at situations from a student athletes perspective with juggling class schedules and practice, I was also able to see from a coaches view also. Falling short, whether it's on or off the court just hurts. And being a player and making mistakes or losing a tough game feels like weight on your shoulders. But being a coach and seeing or knowing that feeling in your players makes you want to scoop up each girl and help them realize the strength in each of them."

Fremouw is planning to finish her nursing license at Iowa Central before continuing on with her bachelor's degree adding "one thing I have learned is that plans are forever changing and life happens."