Head Coach: 14 BLUE

Zach is a self-certified volleyball junkie.  He returns to ITVC as the Head Coach for the 14 Blue team. Zach has seven years of coaching experience, which include a few years coaching various age groups for ITVC , in addition to coaching at the high school level.  He has coached previously at Bellevue High School, and most recently assisted with the varsity team at Newport High School, helping to lead the Knights to the 2011 4A Kingco Championship and a 7th place finish at the 4A WA State Championships.

Zach sums his coaching philosophy up in three words: “Aggressive”, “Competition”, and “Passion”. He very much believes in constantly working on the fundamentals and helping to foster an aggressive mentality in the players he coaches.  Zach’s training environments are designed to help his athletes feel comfortable and confident in themselves to take changes, make mistakes, and improve.  He also feels that high level competition in practice helps to bring out the best in his athletes.  Zach values open and honest communication that encourages his athletes to take ownership of their skills in order to maximize their talent.  For Zach, coaching is not just about improving athletically, but also helping his athletes improve as people too.

Zach is currently a language arts and safety net teacher at Hazen High School.  He has also taught at both Newport HS and Interlake HS.  He loves music, movies, books, and traveling.  As he still plays volleyball locally, Zach competed at the college level as a middle, outside hitter, and defensive specialist for the men’s club team at the University of Newcastle (NSW Australia).  He is an avid and active athlete, having participated in other sports such as amateur boxing, basketball, football, track, and rugby.  He is a firm believer that maintaining proper nutrition and health are very important components to being a well-rounded individual.