By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
The day Jacob Cross dreamed about 14 years ago has finally come.
“Since the program’s inception in 2012, we have long anticipated the moment when alumni would return to lead as coaches. That moment is now,” the Union City High School Principal/Athletic Director said when announcing Abby Suiter as the Lady Tornadoes’ new head volleyball coach.
“We welcome Abby Suiter, a former Golden Tornado standout, who will continue the proud tradition of Lady Tornado volleyball. Coach Suiter brings extensive experience at both the prep and collegiate levels. She is passionate about the sport and arrives with a clear plan to elevate our program to the next level.”
Suiter, the first-ever college signee of the program in 2021 after leading the Lady Twisters to the state tournament for the second time, will replace Jessica Graham, who is stepping down to further her education as a teacher at UC Elementary School.
Graham – with two stints totaling six years – is the program’s all-time wins leader with an 88-56 mark that included three of Union City’s four state tournament appearances.
The 23-year-old Suiter, who played collegiately at both North Iowa Community College and Dickinson State (ND), was an assistant and the head jayvee coach on last year’s Lady Tornado squad that made the Elite 8 in Class A and set a program record for wins. She also piloted the inaugural UC Middle School squad this year.
“I’m super excited to be named the head coach at the place where I played and graduated from, where my siblings graduated from, and where both my parents are teachers,” the new UCHS skipper claimed. “I hope that I can be an example of someone who has a passion for something, and that you can go off to chase that passion and then return home and be successful.”
Abby will be assisted by her father, Eddie, who has held that role for the past two seasons. She joked that she’ll lean on him in some instances for his experience coaching multiple sports, “but volleyball is the one thing I know more about than he does. Here, I’m his boss.”
The younger Suiter, who’ll continue to lead the UCMS program, too, got a ringing endorsement from Graham.
“I’m excited to leave the program in Abby’s hands as she steps into the head coaching role,” Graham claimed. “As a former player with experience at both the high school and collegiate levels, she brings a deep understanding of the game along with a fresh, energetic perspective. Her passion, motivation, and commitment to growth give me the confidence that the program is in the right hands.
“This team and program will always hold a special place in my heart, and I look forward to watching all that she accomplishes in the future with UCHS volleyball.”
Suiter will meet with prospective members of her team today, and said she’s looking forward to building on the relationships she forged last year while trying to keep the expectations of the program at a lofty level.
“We obviously lost a lot of seniors from this past year’s team, but I feel like I already have a good working relationship with those players who step into bigger roles in the fall because of my work with the jayvee team,” she claimed. “The same is true with our 8th-grade bunch – I think many of them are already on the same level as our freshmen because of the work we did together fundamentally in our middle school program this year.
“I believe I bring knowledge of the game, and I want to follow what Coach Graham has done and for our program to continue to grow.”
Coming off back-to-back state tourney appearances in 2024-25, UC will replace eight seniors from last fall’s team this coming season.