Gwen Pingree
Dave Beza has been the Albany High School varsity girls volleyball head coach since 2020. When he went on paternity leave last season, Theresa Lieu stepped in. She focused on varsity while Dave Owen, the JV coach at the time, managed his team. Lieu and Owen collaborated on the placement of the players and allowed juniors on JV.
Now this year, Beza is back as head coach. Unlike last year’s collaboration between coaches, he makes the majority of the roster decisions between JV and Varsity. In previous seasons, Beza has allowed some juniors on JV.
Sophomore Maia Lieu, a varsity player, said, “Coach Dave wants to invest in younger players…last year’s JV and Varsity coach didn’t really care and were fine with having juniors on JV.”
Dave Beza declined to comment on this article when contacted by The Cougar.
Another contribution to the decision to cut juniors from JV is the younger talent. Senior Jill Winnacker, a varsity captain, said “the program has grown a lot. There is a lot of younger talent that would benefit from being on JV at a younger age and getting that experience.”
There are 7 seniors on the team this year, which leaves lots of openings on Varsity next year. Junior Alex Parker, a varsity player, said “Our coach, [Dave Beza], wanted to build up the lower grades, so when the seniors graduate, the program will be stronger.”
Current players have varying opinions, but most disagree with the decision to cut juniors from JV. Senior Imani West, a varsity captain, said, “I feel like everyone should have a chance to play the sport they love.” Other players think that they also should have been allowed to play because the program is supposed to be about fun and experience playing volleyball.
