Girls volleyball: Havens to the rescue

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - Costa Mesa High has doubled its net coaching worth

this fall, as girls tennis coach Joe Havens has agreed to also coach the

girls volleyball team.

“I’m going to be very busy,” said Havens, who also teaches at the

school. “I returned from vacation (last week) to find that the volleyball

team didn’t have a coach yet and, since I have a daughter in the program

(freshman Jackie Havens), I thought I’d help out. I’m prepared to take

the team for the season, but if they find another coach, they would take

over for me.”

Havens, entering his eighth season with the girls tennis program, said

he will also lean on UC Irvine women’s volleyball coach Charlie Brande,

who has coached his daughter at the Orange County Volleyball Club, for

technical advice.

“Charlie is going to be my mentor,” said Havens, who oversaw the

volleyball team’s first workout Tuesday, one day after teams were allowed

to begin fall practice. “My volleyball experience to this point is having

watched hundreds of my daughter’s practices and matches with her club

program.”

Havens, who replaces Darlene Bailey, said he will try to accomplish

the difficult double assignment by enlisting help with the tennis team.

He said he can schedule practices to avoid conflicts and will likely have

someone stand in on the tennis courts, when match schedules collide

during the Pacific Coast League season.

“It’s probably easier for someone to step in with the tennis team,”

Haven said. “Those matches begin at 3 and volleyball typically starts at

4:30. I’ll hand off the tennis team to join the volleyball team when I

need to.”

Havens said there were roughly 20 players present at Tuesday’s initial

volleyball practice and he expects the numbers to grow as word spreads

that a coach is in place.

“We should have three teams (including a junior varsity and

frosh-soph),” he said. “We have a JV coach in place and we’re close to

getting a frosh-soph coach.”