Whitney Stewart
As Whitney Stewart describes it, volleyball outside of Delaware County is just not the same. So Stewart, a former assistant coach at Delta, found being an assistant coach inside county lines better than the prospect of being a head coach somewhere else.
Stewart now has the best of both worlds. She was appointed as the head coach at Cowan, so she will get the chance to lead a program in the volleyball hotbed.
“It just seemed like the right fit,” Stewart said. “A good community, and they’re tight-knit. And I’m excited to be part of it.”
She takes over the Blackhawks after spending the last eight seasons working in various capacities in Delta’s program, most recently as varsity assistant coach.
Stewart replaces Pancho Alvarez, who recently resigned after three seasons. Alvarez’s tenure included winning the 2012 Class A state title.
The new coach has wasted little time getting started. She was officially approved on Wednesday, then held her first team workout on Friday, with more scheduled for next week.
“I like it, I like the school,” Stewart said Friday shortly after that first session. “Their facilities are unbelievable for that size of a school. I’m not used to the facilities like that, and so that’s nice to have that at my fingertips to be able to use.
“The girls are all very attentive and listened, and very accepting of everything that I said to them. They listened, and nodded their heads and did what I ask of them. And I think that as long as everybody else is like that, they’re very coachable.”
Cowan athletic director Brent Adams said Stewart’s enthusiasm to get started stood out as the school searched for Alvarez’s successor after he resigned earlier this spring.
“It was really important to get someone in that knew what they needed to do in this short amount of time they had before the actual season starts, and she definitely had that knowledge and had that game plan put together.”
Stewart said one of her immediate goals is to generate larger numbers within her program. From there, she hopes to pursue other goals, like making a sectional run and building the program up to the level where it can win its first Delaware County Tournament title.
“When I asked her questions about what was most important and how you get your teams to that point where they’re peaking when it comes to the state tournament time, she knows what it takes to get there as both a player and as a coach,” Adams said. “And I think that translates well into what we’re looking for in our program.”
Contact prep sports reporter Sam Wilson at (765) 213-5807. Follow him on Twitter @SamWilsonTSP.