By Matt Browning
YMCA volleyball coach Keeleigh Bolan played volleyball year-round until she graduated from high school then decided to not pursue it in college.
That was choice she regretted.
When she found the opportunity to coach, she jumped right in.
“The YMCA was looking for club coaches for the upcoming club season so I decided to give coaching a try to help fill the void,” Bolan said. “I started with the 13’s age group and am going on my fourth season of coaching.”
Bolan currently coaches the Greater 316 team and her squad is 17-1. The season can be long and have its fair share of challenges, but Bolan wouldn’t trade it.
“I would recommend being a coach to anyone who asks,” Bolan said. “It’s one thing to love a sport and play that sport yourself but when you love a sport and teach others how to play it just feels different. You spend so much time with your team, watching them grow, and putting in the work to get better and it’s so fulfilling to watch it all come together. There is truly nothing like watching them grow into great players and seeing the moment where everything clicks and it goes from just a sport to something they love. My life pretty much consists of work, family, and doing something related to volleyball.”
There is no specific memory from coaching that stands out to Bolan. She tries to soak up all of the time she gets to spend with her team.
“We always do a team dinner or activity when we go out of town for tournaments,” Bolan said. “It’s always so much fun because we can all hang out off the court and get to know each other in a different way other than just what kind of volleyball player or coach we are.”
