New Coach, High Hopes for Volleyball Team

While the entire athletic department has experienced some cause for excitement this school year, one program in particular stands out: girls’ volleyball.

Early this summer, then-coach Ernie Gilbert was forced to resign his position due to undisclosed reasons, sophomore volleyball player Kate Stephenson told me in an interview. Just a few weeks before try-outs for the 2013 season, a new coach was hired, by the name of Ruchelle Dunwoody.

Dunwoody, an experienced coach of club volleyball, is happy to have the job, she told me in an interview. “I’ve always wanted to coach high school, but the opportunity didn’t present itself until now and I decided to go for it,” she informed me. Her goals for the team include for the girls to “love the game more at the end of the season than the beginning, for their skills and tactical knowledge to improve, and that they will want to play again next season.”

When asked about her favorite part of the job, she said “interaction with the girls, planning practice and working through strategies and game situations with my assistant coaches.

Stephenson said she is grateful for the new coach’s arrival. “I think the team, being both JV and varsity, was happy to get a coach like Ruchelle”, she said. “We were glad to have a coach that knew what she was doing for the program.”

Senior player Ana Richter expects big things for the team this year. “I would say that my expectation is to get better as a team and keep a winning record. We have had two losses, but I don’t expect for us to lose anymore because I think we have learned from our mistakes and we know what we need to change to improve,” she informed me.

The team’s record currently stands at 9 wins and 2 losses overall, and 5 wins and 1 loss in the conference. Their next game is Tuesday, September 17th at 7:00 p.m. against Ross. The game will be held in the gym at THS.

The athletic director and the former volleyball coach declined to be interviewed.