Wood Hall Of Famer To Lead Volleyball Program

Posted: May 10, 2016
By ROB NIEDZWIECKI
The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — As a football, basketball and baseball player, P.W. Hillyard certainly left his mark as a student at James Wood High School — the 1986 graduate was named to the school’s P. Wendell Dick Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008.

Thanks to his daughters, he’s since found another sport that’s captivated him. And now he’ll have a chance to make his mark in that sport at the highest level yet for his school.

James Wood announced on Monday that Hillyard will be its new varsity volleyball coach. Hillyard — the head JV volleyball coach for the past two years — takes over for Stephen Reaves, who resigned in March after coaching the Colonels to a 14-7 record in his one season as the team’s head coach.

Hillyard is the father of 2015 graduate Ashley Hillyard — The Winchester Star Player of the Year in 2013 — and junior Megan Hillyard, a setter for the Colonels.

Megan Hillyard has just the one season left at James Wood, but P.W. Hillyard plans on making his tenure last for much longer than that.

“I don’t want to be one-and-done,” said Hillyard on Monday in a phone interview. “James Wood has a tradition of success in volleyball that goes back a long time, and I want this program to have success in the future.

“I was interested in [being] the head coach last year, but it didn’t work out. It’s been a goal of mine to lead a high school program, and it’s a dream come true to do it at James Wood. I’m grateful that [James Wood principal Joe] Salyer and [James Wood coordinator of student activities Craig] Woshner are giving me the opportunity.”

Hillyard said he was first prompted to get involved with coaching volleyball because of his daughters’ involvement in the sport.

Seven years ago Hillyard took on an assistant coaching position with the Eastern Panhandle Volleyball Club (EPAN), which was co-founded by Shawn Martz. Martz has led Musselman High School to four West Virginia Class AAA state championships since 2008.

Hillyard eventually took a head coaching position at EPAN for two years, and for the last two years he’s been a head coach for the local Blue Ridge Youth Volleyball Association, guiding the 16-and-under team last year and the 17-and-under team this year.

Hillyard has also posted a 34-8 record over the last two years as the James Wood JV head coach, including an 18-2 mark this past season in which the Colonels posted a perfect record against Northwestern District foes.

Hillyard said he’s learned a lot by being around people like Martz and Jill Couturiaux, who led a James Wood team that featured both Hillyard girls to the 2014 Group 4A state championship game in her seventh and final season.

“I want us to be fundamentally sound,” Hillyard said. “I want us to be good on defense, and leave everything out there on the court.”

Hillyard said he thinks the transition to varsity head coach could be a smooth one. On Monday he met with the returning players, and he said he’s coached all of them either at James Wood or in club volleyball.

With 10 out of 14 players from last fall’s varsity roster eligible to return, Hillyard will have plenty of experience with which to work. Middle hitter Taylor Heishman and Megan Hillyard will both be back after earning second team All-Conference 21 West honors last year.

“It’s special coaching your daughter, but you have to walk a fine line,” Hillyard said. “I have a rule that we leave volleyball [talk] at the gym.”

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