At West, volleyball is one of the longest-lasting programs to date. Since 2021, Head Coach Keeley Arnold has run the program, but she resigned at the beginning of the summer to focus on her family; the team faced a troubling issue: they needed a head coach to guide them through the preseason. However, new Head Coach Ben Bahr offers a clear path to prepare the team for a rewarding season, guided by his newly implemented training method.
This new philosophy has been important to the whole team, holding them to a new standard: “One way, the right way, the first time.”
Bahr, who started playing intramural volleyball in high school and then continued in college, discovered his passion for coaching after an injury. His knowledge as a statistical analyst helped get him involved in Iowa’s Division I volleyball program and later the Olympic Sand Volleyball team. Bahr also coached volleyball at Baylor University in Waco, Texas from 2020-2022 and, more recently, traveled to China with the USA Beach Volleyball National Team Development Program. Bahr’s coaching led to notable team accomplishments, specifically, at the U19 World Beach Championships in 2024, where Team USA won gold. Bahr believes these experiences played an essential role in developing his team values and inspiring his “One Way” slogan.
“If we’re going to have people who come in here and work hard, make sacrifices and do the tough things, we want to reward them. That’s really the big thing, and there’s a lot of joy when you do that, creating an environment where they can be real human beings,” Bahr said. “They’re not robots, we’re trying to build the culture so they have the best experience possible. That’s the standard of what we’re trying to do.”
Similarly, Paola Jaramillo Guayara ’11, the varsity volleyball team’s assistant coach of six years, believes having the right guidance is crucial to bringing out the best in each player on and off the court.
“It connects back to this idea we have about making sure that kids are pursuing their dreams and being the best version of themselves off the court and on the court. This ‘One Way’ philosophy means you do the right thing at the right time, no matter what you’re doing,” Guayara said. “It puts ownership on the players and the coaches. We know the right way, and we have to make that choice to make the right decision.”
Although he values team performance and upholding West volleyball’s legacy, Bahr emphasizes building trust as a crucial pillar of building a strong team dynamic.
“We had to figure out who’s who on our team, what makes us tick, get some trust and outline some of those cultural things,” Bahr said. “Frankly, volleyball was [much] further down the list. I wouldn’t even call it top 10.”
Because the team was without a head coach for the pre-season, Bahr joined a team that had largely become self-sufficient, with assistant coaches and players rising to the occasion. Assistant Coaches Guayara and Taylor Serovy have both been assets to the team during the summer, stepping up in the absence of a head coach. Team member Elle Barnett ’25 notes their help in overcoming challenges she and her teammates faced during this summer.
“We didn’t lose practice time, but we were nervous and unintentional with things because we were scared of the unknown, and we didn’t know if we were going to have a coach or not, or what our season would look like. Especially as seniors, that was really hard,” Barnett said. “When Keeley resigned, we had our two assistants, PJ and Taylor, helping us. We love them, [and] we are so grateful they were able to stay.”
Even with the assistant coaches’ help, taking charge of the team was not easy. Nonetheless, Guayara believes what matters the most is the effort both the staff and players put in.
“It was a hard situation. We’re very invested in the girls as human beings, and something that is always important is creating stability, especially as we’re going into the preseason…It’s built up their ability to lean on each other when things get hard. We did our best to show up for them, and they did their best to show up for us,” Guayara said.
With the combined hard work of the players and assistant coaches, lacking a head coach did not discourage the team. Rather, it fostered stronger bonds that brought them closer. Members, including Sophia Austen ’27, realized they had to collectively rely more on themselves to keep the team running smoothly.
“It caused a lot of us to step up and help others in the assistant coaches’ lead,” Austen said. “Since we didn’t have a coach, we played for each other, and that’s what kept us there. Even though we really had no coach, we’re just here because we like to play.”
Similar to Austen and the athletes who play for their own love of volleyball, Bahr’s coaching philosophy emphasizes choosing joy and passion for sports.
“[‘One Way’ is] an overarching thing of trying to say [and] do things the right way,” Bahr said “I try to take that within my personal life, and I try to take it to the job here, my professional life. The other part is we really want to choose joy.”
Bahr’s experience in the professional volleyball league brings plays and strategies the team hasn’t seen before. Following his philosophy, West volleyball players and coaching staff have greatly appreciated his unique approach and fast-paced coaching style.
“Our coaching staff is very thankful and grateful for him. He’s been really great at helping integrate us into his system and his coaching approach. He’s really great to work with and great to get along with, so it makes spending those long hours together much more fun and worthwhile,” Guayara said.
The players have offered similar statements about their excitement for the upcoming season and the knowledge Bahr brings to practices. Ava Bruxvoort ’25, a member of the varsity team, respects Bahr’s directness.
“I really do admire his confidence; it doesn’t come off as being cocky. He knows he’s good at what he does, and he definitely knows his stuff. It’s really enlightening,” Bruxvoort said.
Bahr’s strong leadership has not only lifted the team, but also inspired them to look forward to new heights. After working with the team, Bahr and the coaching staff have confidence in his plans for the season.
“He’s been here for a really short amount of time, but he’s really jumped in headfirst and taken the lead with a lot of things, and the kids are responding really well to him. Our coaching staff is super lucky to have him and are very excited to be learning from him. We are excited to see where he can take this group of kids,” Guayara said.
The players and assistant coaches alike hope having new leadership this season will help them get them back on track after the unexpected events this past summer.
“This is such an incredible group of kids, skill-wise and talent-wise, and they’re hungry to win. I’m really excited to see how far that takes us and that takes them,” Guayara said.
To Bahr, following through and having resilience is important, especially within a team.
“We’re not worried about good play, bad play. We’re worried about the next play,” Bahr said. “I hope when people come watch our team and watch our program, they see us pursuing [excellence] and they’re invested in our ability to pursue excellence, not holding us to the standard that we will be excellent all the time [because] we set that standard ourselves. We’re really excited for that.”
