West High has found a new volleyball head coach: Jaedynn Evans. Evans is from Mid Prairie, Iowa, and has played volleyball for fourteen years. After coaching three seasons of club volleyball in Oklahoma, high school is a new field for Evans.

Evans began her volleyball career in fifth grade. Playing all over the country at the University of Iowa, the University of Central Oklahoma and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Evans is a very experienced player at high levels. She plans to take her experience as a player and apply it to her coaching career. 

When her coach first introduced Evans to the coaching world, she found her passion for helping young athletes. Being a mentor and a positive influence in an athlete’s life has always been a target for Evans.

When Evans decided to make the switch from club volleyball to high school volleyball, it was the Trojans’ winning culture and mentality that attracted her to West. “In high school, they always won everything, and that’s just something fun to be a part of,” Evans said.

West’s academic success was another pull factor for Evans. “West is a very good academic school, a huge thing for athletes who want to play in college,” Evans said. One of Evan’s main goals for the season is maintaining a high team GPA.

As the season approaches, Evans plans to host summer open gyms to get the season rolling. With her focus on plyometrics and increasing vertical jumps, lifting lighter weights with more repetitions is the goal. Playing in scrimmages against high-level teams during the offseason is another factor that could contribute significantly to West’s success in the regular season.

Some of West’s returning players who have met Evans only have good things to say. With hopes of making it to state in the 2025 season, players hope that with new coaches, new ideas will come. 

Isabella McDonald ’28, a new player this year, discusses the advantages of having a former player as a coach. After enduring similar experiences as current players, Evans has a different perspective from other coaches. Evans knows how to put herself on the court and adjust to the game accordingly. 

“I really like Jaedynn. She has a really good mindset, and she just knows a lot about the game,” McDonald said.

Another returning player, Audrey Small ’28, talks about former coach Ben Bahr’s legacy and her hopes for the future.

“I think that Ben really left us in a good spot to improve, and I think she [Jaedynn] will continue developing our skills and making us a better team,” Small said.

As summer is only two months away, Evans is preparing for a hopefully successful season to attend the state tournament in November. “My favorite part of volleyball is the competitiveness. I think I hate to lose more than I love to win.” Evans said. A bright future is in store for the Women of Troy this fall, led by Jaedynn Evans.