Volleyball coach Tammy Bruha reaches 500-win milestone at Harding County

BUFFALO — Tucked away in the far northwestern corner of South Dakota, Harding County’s Tammy Bruha has quietly built a culture of sustained volleyball success.

Bruha, who has been Harding County's head volleyball coach for 23 seasons, recently captured her 500th victory and has led the Ranchers to eight state volleyball appearances.

While Bruha said it’s special to have reached all those victories at one school, she was quick to credit the people who have helped her along the way.

“It’s really special to have done it with one place and built that program,” Bruha said. “But you can’t do anything alone. You have a lot of other people that help you along the way. But it’s been kind of nice to be in one place and see your program flourish throughout the years.”

Bruha especially praised her assistant coaches, including longtime assistant Lynette Stugelmeyer, the Harding County administration and the players for being instrumental in the sustained success.

“We have some hard-working kids here at Harding County,” Bruha said. “We can’t do it without them, and they're coachable, and they want to work hard.”

Harding County coach Tammy Bruha recently recorded her 500th career volleyball coaching win. (Courtesy photo) 

Bruha is now one of 16 South Dakota high school volleyball coaches to win 500 or more matches. Parker’s Jill Christensen is the all-time leader with 837 victories.

Bruha said it’s special to be mentioned in the same sentence as some of the other coaches to reach 500 or more wins.

“There are some greats that are up there in the world of volleyball that I have learned from,” Bruha said. “So, it is kind of special.”

Bruha’s journey to 500 wins has come with some obstacles, including last year when she was diagnosed with diverticulitis before the state volleyball tournament. Diverticulitis is a condition that involves inflammation in the colon area, which forced Bruha to miss Harding County’s first two matches at state volleyball in Rapid City.

She was discharged prior to Harding County’s seventh-place match and was able to coach in the final match.

“I think I missed just the connection with the girls,” Bruha said. “That part where you're with them all the time. You just miss that part. You want to be there to watch them succeed or learn or grow. So, that's the part you miss when you're in the hospital or laid up.”

Bruha, who hails from Baker, Montana, attended college at North Dakota colleges Williston Community College and Minot State University. She received her teaching certificate from Black Hills State University.

Bruha’s father, Clayton Hornung, won 469 games and three Class B state titles while coaching girls' basketball in Baker. Bruha called her father, who died in 2016, her biggest mentor.

Bruha initially coached basketball upon her arrival at Harding County, but eventually transitioned to volleyball.

“The head volleyball coach said, ‘Hey, I need an assistant. You want to help me out?’ ” Bruha said. “I was like, ‘I don't know.’ Because my dad coached basketball. So, I was around that my whole life. She came back the next day because they had practice, and I finally said, ‘Sure, I'll help you out.’ So, God puts you in places where he thinks you need to be.”

Bruha isn’t sure how many more years she’ll coach, but after all these years, she still finds plenty of joy in the gym.

“I always figure the minute I don't like being in the gym for practice, that might be time,” Bruha said. “I enjoy practice. It's my favorite time. We show what we've done in a match. But practices are where you really see and connect with the girls.”