Along with a new athletic director, Turlock Christian High is also welcoming a new varsity volleyball head coach this year.

Josephine Anderson, who comes from St. Paul, Minnesota and has experience at the club level and junior varsity level, brings eight years of coaching knowledge to the squad.

“I was real excited to take over a program and build a strong program and I heard a lot about these girls,” said Anderson. “I’ve known them for a week and I am completely blown away, first of all how nice they are, they are super nice girls and then the raw talent that they have is real fun.”

Anderson also expressed her excitement in joining a winning program in a winning town that has seen at least one Sac-Joaquin Section champion since 2012—when TC volleyball started their three-year reign.

From 2012-14, the Turlock Christian varsity volleyball team was the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-VI champions. Pitman won the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-I title from 2014-16 while Turlock won the 2017 D-I title.

If a team wins three consecutive section titles they are then moved up a division. TC was bumped up to D-V for their 2015 playoff run after they went 22-9 overall and 11-1 in the Central California Athletic Association.  The Eagles were knocked out in the semifinal that year (2015) and since then have been slowly rebuilding back to the top.

In 2016, TC went 3-21 after they welcomed back their two-time section champion coach Ken Wynne (2012 and 2013).

Wynne then led the fall squad in 2017 to a 5-18 overall record, doubling the number of league victories with four after winning just twice in the CCAA in 2016.

From that roster of nine, eight were underclassmen.

The team is currently boasting over a dozen players that include last year’s top kills getter in Sydney Mensonides after she finished with 85 kills in 62 sets played.

“I am very excited. I feel like obviously a lot of growth and potential being reached, a lot of wins,” said Anderson. “Being out of state I am not that familiar with how the sections work in California and all that but come sections time we are competing and going to be out there. From the first day of practice we told them it’s what they make of it and having a good preseason.”

Anderson also emphasized that she plans on instilling her philosophy.

“So, our two focuses this year are leadership and competition,” said Anderson. 

TC will kick off their season at Hughson High at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 15.

“It’s fun learning about the energy they had before and these girls seem to have a ‘can do’ mentality,” Anderson added.