By Derrick Smith

The Victory Christian volleyball team has done something that most high school sports teams, no matter the sport, can only dream of. They won their fifth consecutive state championship. Head coach Dan Donohue says the coaches under him are a big reason for the team’s succ

“We have a tremendous coaching staff and our girls have bought into the program,” Donohue said. “This includes doing strength-building and agility work and keeping the volleyball in their hands during the off-season.  Coaches Becky Olson, Victoria Giron, Lance Gwartney, and Brittany Hendrix are all assets to this team. There really hasn’t been a situation on or off the court that a member of our staff hasn’t already seen.  The staff experience has helped build the championship culture that we have at Victory.”

Another big key for Donohue’s squad is that they begin teaching the sport at a young age, well before the students hit high school. 

“My coaching philosophy is to build correct fundamentals at a young age,” he said. “We start at the fifth and sixth grade league which has allowed us to introduce the basics at a young age.  We also have continuity on our staff in the junior high grades that the same coaches are instructing in the junior high as in the High school.”

The Lady Conquerors have not been immune to bumps in the road during this string of championships. 

“One issue we have run into is not knowing each year if we are going to be classified in 4A or 5A,” Donohue said. “We are on the bubble and we don’t find out until mid-August where we land. We changed to playing 5A and 6A teams and competed and defeated many of the top teams in all classes over the past couple of seasons. This gives us a great experience.”

Another key to his team’s success has been the support of the school and the administration. 

“Our school administration and the student body have provided strong support for us during our state championship runs,” the coach said. “The expectation to win state has transferred over to other sports at VCS.  Also, our team has seen a number of players go on to play at the next level. Jaxie Wakley at ORU , Hannah Warlick Palm at Beach-Atlantic, Bella Wakley is currently undecided but will play volleyball in college next year, Ruthie Udomoh went to Oklahoma State for basketball, and Jessa Gilyard will play somewhere next year for basketball.”