By Henriikka Niemi
Staff Writer

Coach Robyn Wallace came over to the high school from Coppell Middle School North to coach the JV volleyball team this season, with nine years of coaching experience. She is also teaching PE and independent study classes at New Tech during the day.

Q: How did you get into coaching?

A: I was an athlete in college and I knew that I wasn’t ready to give up sports yet, so I pursued coaching as a career.

Q: Why is volleyball your favorite sport to coach?

A: There are so many aspects of the game that people don’t see and the things that we do in practice that translate into game situations, it’s kind of interesting. It’s fun.

Q: What sports did you play in high school/college?

A: In high school, I played volleyball, basketball and track. In college, I played volleyball.

Q: How is coaching at the middle school level different from the high school level?

A: It’s a big transition, lots of different pieces come into play. At the middle school, you’re working so much on fundamentals, like building a foundation for an athlete. In high school, you’re using those fundamentals and that foundation to build something greater.

Q: What are your goals for the rest of the season for JV volleyball?

A: JV is a really interesting team because you have kids that are either going to pursue varsity level play or they’re going to be done. I realize that but it’s about building each kid and making them the best volleyball player that they can be, either to move on and play at the varsity level or to have a good time and finish out their career on JV.

Q: What is a typical practice like for JV?

A: Practices we work on skills and fundamentals, then we do some competitive things, and then we definitely do 6 on 6 everyday.

Q: What has been your favorite moment coaching in your entire career?

A: My first year of coaching I was coaching a group of kids and I was demonstrating something. While I was demonstrating it I fell flat on my face. So that was definitely my most embarrassing moment in practice. My first group of kids was last year’s seniors, Cassidy [Pickrell], Erica [Bohannon], Chiaka [Ogbogu] and Laura Beaty. Those were my first group of kids at Coppell and to get to watch them achieve the things that they have achieved is a pretty special moment.