Coupeville Sports

New Coupeville Middle School 7th grade volleyball coach Allison Cowan.

The Coupeville volleyball scene continues to get a fresh infusion of young, talented former players turned coaches.

Hot on the heels of former Wolf star Kirsty Croghan taking the reigns of the high school program she once played for, former Oak Harbor ace Allison Cowan has been tabbed to coach Coupeville Middle School’s 7th grade team.

Cowan replaces Amy King, who moved up to coach the Wolf JV team and assist Croghan.

The daughter of recently-hired CHS girls’ soccer coach Troy Cowan, Allison arrives with impeccable playing credentials.

She played for the OHHS squad for three years, two on varsity, while also playing club volleyball in the off-season. While attending college at BYU-Idaho, she kept her spike arm sharp by playing in a series of rec leagues.

For a coach’s daughter, taking control of her own team is the next logical step.

“I started playing volleyball in sixth grade and I fell in love with the game,” Cowan said. “My dad involved us kids in sports since we could walk; there were a few times he was even a coach. So I guess in an essence children want to be like their dads, and in my youth my dad was a coach.”

While the CMS job will be her first with a school district, Cowan has prior coaching experience. Like her father, she has coached youth soccer teams in Oak Harbor.

She would eventually like to move up the coaching rungs, but is fully embracing her new job and teaching a group of players with little to no prior experience.

“It is a great opportunity,” Cowan said. “High school level would be ideal, but in these few days with the 7th graders I can see myself wanting to stay put.”

Teaching to her player’s skill levels is key, but also making sure they view the game as just that — a game — is huge for her.

“I plan to start with the basics and slowly bring them along after they can demonstrate the basics with confidence,” Cowan said. “Every now and then I’ll give them a sneak peek of something ahead to keep them interested and excited to further their skills.”

In the end, she hopes that she can impart some of the lessons she learned as a young volleyball player. Lessons that have remained with her over the years.

“Volleyball is fun, it requires physicality but also playing smart is an essential aspect of the game,” Cowan said. “I also enjoy the team aspect of it; volleyball isn’t a one person kind of game; working together as a team is crucial.

“Volleyball gives important skills such as communication, confidence, working well with others, discipline and much more,” she added. “It gives me all that and to be able to teach that to these girls is a joy.”