This year, Keiley Hein joined the volleyball coaching staff for the reserve team.
Before becoming a coach, Hein played volleyball at Nebraska Wesleyan her freshman year, then transferred to Peru State.
“In my opinion, going to a smaller campus is nice, as it was much easier to make a lot of connections with peers, and having that support helped make college feel less daunting for me,” Hein said.
In addition to being the new reserve coach, Hein attended Bryan in 2016, before transferring to Bellevue East where she graduated.
“Keiley was a freshman volleyball player when I came to Bryan as the co-JV coach,” said varsity head coach Natheniel Novotny.
Novotny feels that it is beneficial having a new coach on the reserve team.
“She has a lot of knowledge that ranges from multiple teams at multiple levels,” Novotny said. “She has a unique viewpoint of our program as a former player, fan and now coach.”
Hein has previous experience coaching volleyball.
“I have four years of club volleyball coaching experience,” Hein said. “I coached three seasons at Attack Volleyball in Council Bluffs, Iowa from 2021-2023. My fourth
season of club volleyball coaching, I coached at River City Juniors Volleyball Club in Papillion.”
Freshman middle hitter Grace Kalunda enjoyed Hein’s company and learned new skills from her.
“I enjoy that the team and I can joke around with her, and she’s trustworthy,” Kalunda said.
Hein said her first-year coaching here went well.
“For me, it was all about teaching the girls new skills and developing skills they already had,” Hein said. “Everyone progressed and got better every time they stepped onto the court, and the growth that was made is definitely something to be proud about.”
If given the choice, Hein would coach the reserve team again.
“I started my high school volleyball career at Bryan, so it was really cool to come back years later and be a part of the coaching staff,” Hein said. “I enjoyed coaching alongside coach Novotny and coach Luis Vargas, as they coached me when I was a freshman here at Bryan, and they made me feel so welcomed.”
