Three of last year’s JV stars, (l to r) Miranda Engle, Tiffany Briscoe and Valen Trujillo, hope to celebrate at the varsity level in 2014. (John Fisken photos)
Kacie Kiel (left) and Madeline Strasburg are two of the Wolves top returning players.
New Wolf coach Breanne Smedley, with husband Brett.
A strong work ethic, high expectations, and solid volleyball skills.
That’s what new Coupeville High School varsity volleyball coach Breanne Smedley would like to bring to the program.
A former college player herself, she knows the work required to be a top spiker, and sees great promise in her new players.
“I was interested in the CHS job because I see a lot of potential to create a strong volleyball program at Coupeville,” Smedley said. “Coupeville has a very supportive community and there are a great group of girls on the team with many of the pieces needed to be competitive in our league.
“It’s about putting those parts together to build a successful program.”
Smedley, who played four seasons at Western Washington University, finishing up in 2011, is replacing Kirsty Croghan, who left after one season when her daily commute from La Conner proved to be too much.
The wife of Wolf assistant football coach Brett Smedley, Breanne works as a Physical Education Specialist at Broad View Elementary.
While this is her first varsity high school head coaching position, she’s already accrued a fair amount of time on the bench.
She coached kids clinics and volleyball camps while playing for Western, then ran two seasons of club volleyball before joining the OHHS staff as an assistant in 2013.
Smedley got her first taste of running a program as head coach last season, when she led both the 7th and 8th grade squads at Oak Harbor Middle School.
Combining what she learned as a player with what she has picked up during her coaching days, she will look to highlight her new player’s strengths when deciding on a style of play for the Wolves.
“The systems that I will implement are designed to either utilize or expose our best passers, hitters, or blockers in any given situation,” Smedley said.
Aware that a strong program needs a firm base to build on, Smedley will be working with JV coach Amy King, as well as middle school and youth coaches, to build for the future.
“My goal for Coupeville volleyball is to build a cohesive program that develops and encourages athletes to better themselves on and off the volleyball court,” Smedley said. “This program will reach down to the elementary and middle school in order to develop unity as players grow through the Coupeville volleyball program.
“My goal is to cultivate an environment where players can develop the qualities of discipline, leadership, and dedication through the vehicle of volleyball,” she added. “My goal this season is to lay the foundation for a program of strong volleyball at Coupeville by getting the whole program on page with our philosophy and expectations, systems of play, and basic terminology.”
The Wolves are moving out of the 1A/2A Cascade Conference after almost a decade and will take up residence in the 1A Olympic League in the fall, providing Smedley and her team a chance to have a fresh start together.
“My goal is for Coupeville to be competitive and finish at the top of their new league,” Smedley said. “As the program develops, my goal is that the program will have a culture of strong work ethic, high expectations, and solid volleyball skills.”
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