JAMES WARD, MOUNT ST. MARY’S (OK) HIGH SCHOOL

• Ward led Mount St. Mary’s to the 2024 Oklahoma Class 5A state title.
• The Rockets finished the championship season 39-1.
• This was the fifth time one of his teams has earned a state championship since 2013. He also has coached six teams that had runner-up finishes.
• When his 2024 squad qualified for this year’s state tournament, it was the 23rd straight time they’d made the tourney.
• He is the only coach in Oklahoma history to take three different high school teams to the State Tournament in three different classes.
• This season marks Ward’s 32 year of coaching volleyball.

 

MARTY WOODS, DALTON McMICHAEL (NC) HIGH SCHOOL

• The veteran coach led Dalton McMichael volleyball to the Class 2A state championship.
• This was the second time in the past three seasons the Phoenix had captured the state title, as her team also lifted the trophy in 2022.
• Already the winningest volleyball coach in North Carolina history, Woods led her 2024 squad to a 30-2 record, which gives her 836 victories.
• This was her 47th year as the varsity volleyball coach at her school, and she has led her teams to 46-straight winning seasons.
• She was elected to NCHSAA Hall of Fame in 2016 and was the Naismith Coach of the Year in 2015.

 

AVCA GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL COACHES OF THE YEAR

2008: Todd Garvey, Mercy Academy (Louisville, KY) and Tom Turco, Barnstable High School (Hyannis, MA)
2009: Bret Almazan-Cezar, Archbishop Mitty High School (Santa Clara, CA) and Anita Boeck, Arlington High School (Arlington, SD)
2010: Bill Morrin, Grantsburg High School (Grantsburg, WI) and Amy Steininger, Marion Local High School (Maria Stein, OH)
2011: Jeff Carroll, Billings Senior High School (Billings, MT) and Susan Brewer, Bellville High School (Bellville, TX)
2012: Suzie Pignetti, Charlotte Latin School (Charlotte, NC) and Ron Kordes, Assumption High School (Louisville, KY)
2013: Kim Lauwers, A.J. Dimond High School (Anchorage, AK) and Jody DeGroot, Bellarmine Preparatory School (Tacoma, WA)
2014: Al Bennett, Westlake High School (Austin, TX) and Angie Spangenberg, Harlan Community High School (Harlan, IA)
2015: Nancy Dorsey, St. James Academy (Lenexa, KS) and Jean Kesterson, Cathedral High School (Indianapolis, IN)
2016: Jeni Case, Ursuline Academy (Cincinnati, OH) and Jan Barker, Amarillo High School (Amarillo, TX)
2017: Alexis Glover, Wando High School (Mount Pleasant, SC) and Zach Young, Lafayette High School (Wildwood, MO)
2018: Zoe Bell, Ardrey Kell High School (Charlotte, NC) and Heath Kufahl, Christian Heritage Academy (Del City, OK)
2019: Margie McGee, Valley View High School (Jonesboro, AR) and Ann Schilling, Bayside Academy (Daphne, AL)
2020: Renee Saunders, Skutt Catholic High School (Omaha, NE) and Loretta Vogel, Mercy High School (Farmington Hills, MI)
2021: Mayssa Cook, Bloomfield Hills Marian High School (Marian, MI) and Sue Ziegler, Lincoln Lutheran High School (Lincoln, NE)
2022: Suzanne Marble, La Conner High School (La Conner, WA) and Diana Kramer, New Bremen High School (New Breman, OH)
2023: Stephanie Gibson, Winter Park High School (Winter Park, FL) and Brian Wheatley, Venice High School (Venice, FL)
2024: James Ward, Mount St. Mary’s High School (Oklahoma City, OK) and Marty Woods, Dalton McMichael High School (Mayodan, NC)