This fall there are five Alachua County volleyball programs whose coaches have a daughter on the team, including another whose daughter is an assistant coach.
So, what’s it like having a daughter on the team that you coach?
“I’ve been asked this question many times,” said The Rock’s head coach Ruben Perez, whose daughter, Skyler (team-leading 74 digs), is a junior for the Lions volleyball team. “The honest truth is that this is an honor and a privilege. We get the opportunity to teach our children different things as they grow. Skyler fell in love with volleyball as Hannah (mother) and I were both coaches well before she became of age to play.”
Although he credits his daughter’s technical ability to her mother, the parents took on the role of coaches and helped her develop her skills.
“But her love for the game is unmatched,” Coach Ruben said. “While other kids want to go and play different things outside, if it wasn’t feeding her animals (goats, cows, chickens, horses) she was out peppering trying to get better at her ball control. As a father, I am proud of her commitment to this beautiful sport. As a coach, I could not ask anything else from my Libero. Her presence on the court is definitely felt by all on both sides of the net.”
Her teammates have said they feel bad because sometimes she catches the wrath of the coach even worse than the rest.
“I do feel that as a coach-dad I am a little harder on her,” Coach Ruben said. “But bottom line how I feel having her on the team, I feel lucky, I feel blessed, I get to spend some amazing time with my beautiful daughter. It’s refreshing to see someone love a sport the way she does.”
That feeling is felt at other schools.
“It’s great,” said first-year Gainesville High coach Jerica Carter-Mitchell, whose daughter, Jacey, is a 6’1 freshman middle blocker on the team. “I’m used to coaching her, ever since she was little, I coached rec league for her (since third grade) and even middle school when we were in South Florida I was her middle school coach (Boynton Beach).”
It’s something that is in the family bloodlines.
“Actually, my mom (Wanda) coached me, so it’s like returning the favor,” said Coach Jerica, a 2005 graduate of GHS. “I’m used to my mom following me through girls club here and high school. She was an assistant at GHS (under FHSAA Hall of Fame coach Cindy Boulware) when I went to GHS so it’s all I know.”
Coach Jerica went to the state final four all four years she played for the Hurricanes and won state the last two years she was at GHS.
Now, her daughter is hoping to lead the ‘Canes to their first state title since she was born. GHS’ last state volleyball championship came in 2004 (Class 4A title) under Coach B.
“She talks about all of the components of having a great team like hustle, communicating is a really big one, being positive to each other, and just being a good teammate,” said Jacey Carter-Mitchell, who is third on the team with 85 kills and led GHS with six aces and was second on the team with five kills in Monday’s win against rival Buchholz. “She talks about what it takes.”
Obviously, her mom would know not only what it takes but also what it’s like to win it all.
“That’s what I’m trying to get these girls to see, the big picture, that we’re playing for something bigger,” Coach Jerica said. “And to have that determination because I know what it takes. But it doesn’t matter if I know what it takes, there’s only so much we can do. They have to feel it and have that drive.”
She said, “It takes luck, good leadership, but specifically the upperclassmen having that vision and making sure that everybody is playing to that expectation every game…the players have to buy in.”
Santa Fe junior setter Gracyn Marshall (team-leading 300 assists) knows about that expectation, especially since she’s already been a part of a state championship.
She was a freshman on the 2022 team which won the Class 4A state title.
“Well, for me, this is the second daughter that I’ve coached,” said Santa Fe coach Eric Marshall, whose daughter Ramsey was a libero/defensive specialist on the 2018 6A and 2019 4A state runner-up teams. “I love it. I guess for some parents it would be tough but for me, I’m able to distinguish the two and separate them and also I’m able to push her very hard because she’s used to it, so I enjoy it a lot. It’s kind of why I do what I do, to be honest.”
Gracyn, who finished with 16 service points, a pair of aces, and 15 assists in a sweep of Newberry on Sept. 9, still has another season to go, but the University of West Florida commit will get an opportunity to play at the next level.
“She’s a really tough kid so I think she enjoys getting coached and I think she enjoys getting pushed,” Coach Marshall said. “Enjoy might be a strong word but she knows that I’m going to make her better.”
The family has been “gym rats” since he started 25 years ago.
There’s also perks of the job.
Eastside’s Rachel Williams has been coaching her daughter, Joanna, since she was in the sixth grade. She started out at Girls Place in Gainesville to learn the sport and loved it.
“But when she played for Cornerstone, The Rock, as well as Vision & GJ club teams, I always helped out as assistant coach to offset cost,” Coach Rachel admitted. “My husband is a pastor, and we have four children (Jacob 21, Jessica 19, Joanna 18, and June 16). I’ve always stayed busy helping him in ministry, raising our family, homeschooling our children, and eventually coaching. But having one income with four kiddos in this economy is a challenge. Thankfully God has always provided, and our family and friends have been helpful support.”
Joanna’s mom played volleyball from 7th-12th grade at a small Christian school in Dothan, Alabama, but said she was never the best athlete.
“I was captain because I was the oldest on my team, got along well with the coach, and was a natural leader,” Coach Rachel said. “However, I only played intramural in college. My sister played setter at Lee University in Cleveland (TN) and coaches a homeschool team there now. She was always the natural athlete in our family. But we all grew up enjoying volleyball.”
She said when her oldest two daughters got into volleyball in junior high, she renewed her love for the sport and has “learned a ton watching great coaches and helping out where I could.”
Her oldest daughter Jessica played at Cornerstone and The Rock as well as Vision & GJ – and then ended up getting to play at Bryan College (TN).
It’s certainly possible that her 18-year-old could carry on the tradition of coaching a daughter in high school one day.
“Joanna is a special player,” she said. “She contributes so much to our team on and off the court. I think she’ll make an excellent coach one day. She helps me so much at practice and as captain on the floor. She loves the game and our team and works hard to serve well. She is an all-around excellent player and only sits the bench if her attitude needs adjusting or she needs a break.”
Joanna can pass, set block and attack well and is always watching for the smart spot and playing accordingly.
“Did I mention her serve,” Coach Rachel asked. “Coaching friends have called her ‘ice queen’ because she can serve aces under pressure (100 points with 54 aces). It’s pretty amazing. Joanna is getting a lot of exercise hustling around the court doing her utmost to assist in kills. She’s doing pretty great so far with 113 assists in the 15 matches recorded.”
Meanwhile, Cassidy McDonald is wrapping up a stellar career at Oak Hall playing for her dad, Perry.
“It’s definitely a challenge because sometimes we’ve got to remember the parent switch vs. the coach switch, but so far we’ve been doing a pretty good job because I’ve had him since I was a freshman, so I’ve had him as my coach for four years now,” said Cassidy, who had 24 assists, 10 digs, two aces, and seven service points in last night’s sweep at P.K. Yonge. “He knows when to be my coach versus my dad like on the car ride home if I need to talk about it we’ll talk about it but if I’m just like, ‘Dad, I just want to go home and eat dinner,’ he’ll be like, ‘what are we ordering,’ and I’m like ok.”
Although her dad is the coach, it can be a different role when Cassidy is on the floor, like in Thursday’s win against the Blue Wave.
“I have to give her tremendous credit because tonight she out Perry-ed Perry,” he said. “There were times that she saw better than I did what was going on with the opposing team’s block and coached up the hitters even in the middle of plays on where to swing, where to tip, where we could find kill production.
“Cassidy has been a true pleasure to coach and having the opportunity to see her learn and grow and to see her surpass at times what my knowledge happens to be, I think it’s the saying that as parents we all want our kids to be better than we are ourselves and at times Cassidy is achieving that on the volleyball court.”
She’s a pretty good coach on the floor.
“Phenomenal, hands down,” he said. “I think she is absolutely a stalwart leader of this team. She sees things that the majority of us may overlook and as a result, having that additional person on the court in her teammate’s ears is absolutely priceless. We wouldn’t be where we are now if it wasn’t for her production and her leadership, especially in the position of being a setter, she’s facilitating everything that goes on on the court.”
Speaking of coaches, Newberry’s Hayley Rone coaches with her dad, Hank, at Newberry High School.
Her sister, Hannah, was a senior in 2022 and played for her dad. She was a part of two state runner-up teams (2019 and 2020).
“Being a coach’s kid has its ups and downs,” said Hannah Rone. “For me, I feel like my dad treated me pretty fair. We had a lot of fun moments and when it all came to an end I had someone beside me who truly knew the best and worst parts of my journey. The hardest thing was having to go home with my coach, especially after a loss. Sometimes you just need a break from it all but as a coach’s kid you don’t get that luxury.”
Despite the challenges, it’s something she misses.
“The hardest part is going back to watch him coach now,” she said. “Although I am so happy he still continues doing what he loves, a part of me will always miss being out there with him. But I know those girls need him just as much as I did, and I am so proud he continues to make a difference in so many lives.”
Hank treated her just like anyone else on the team.
“Her junior season we had a transfer come in from GHS and a month later Faith (Wilson) comes up to me and says ‘I can’t believe Hannah is your daughter, I really thought it was another player’ so that kind of made me feel good because it showed me I treated her like everyone else,” he said.
He also said there were more ups then downs coaching his daughter.
“Hannah was as hard a worker as they come,” Coach Hank said. “She wasn’t the player that could jump the highest or move the fastest, but her IQ of the game made up for some of those challenges. I always told myself I would never treat her any differently than another player. I didn’t coach her any differently either. She had to earn everything to get on the court. Our relationship was coach-player on the court and off the court, I tried to be dad.”
Family first.