Sara Powell has had a toe in the volleyball world practically all her life, either as a player as a club-level coach.

This fall marks her first foray into the varsity coaching world, as the Harrisburg native takes over the Aberdeen Christian volleyball program.

“It just all sort of happened,” Powell said.

Powell is a dental assistant at a dental office in Aberdeen and heard about the coaching openings at ACS. Having already had experience in coaching through Matchbox club programs as well as coaching her own daughters when they were in grade school, the idea of coaching a varsity program piqued her interest.

“I just had a calling to reach out to the athletic director,” Powell said. “I love coaching, all ages and all kids. It just felt right to do it.”

Powell inherits a squad coming off its first ever appearance at the state tournament. The Knights also, however, graduated six seniors that have been the backbone of the program for several seasons.

“Obviously, I knew going into it, it would be a couple of rebuilding years,” she said. “We lost six seniors from last year and we have no seniors this year.”

But the proverbial cupboard is far from bare, she said, pointing to up and coming classes of athletes.

“I want to keep building the program,” Powell noted. “I have such a passion for it. I never want it to go away.”

Powell was able to meet with the returning members of the program back in March to get a feel for how to proceed. Since then, the team has been doing weight training two days a week and playing – organized or otherwise – two days a week. The Knights have also attended a couple of team camps in recent weeks.

“I have a great group of girls,” Powell said. “They’re super coachable. They have potential. I’m excited to watch them grow.”