Matthews signs on as volleyball coach

The Columbia Falls High School volleyball program will have a familiar face at the helm of its varsity team next season.

Freshmen coach Jessy Matthews was recently hired as the new head coach. Matthews was the frosh coach for three years and was the freshmen coach at Loyola Sacred Heart school in Missoula a year before that.

Matthews takes over the program after head coach Josie Brown resigned for personal reasons at the end of the season. Brown led the team to a second-place finish in the state Class A tournament last year.

Matthews has a degree in elementary education from Carroll College and is the director of the Whitefish Community School. She played volleyball through high school at Loyola and one year at Carroll.

Matthews said she’s excited about this upcoming season, which will see a host of returning players from last year’s squad.

“We have some talented players coming up,” she said.

Matthews said her coaching philosophy is to play a quick and aggressive offense.

“We talk about being aggressive and not playing ‘not to lose,’” she said.

The program offers open gyms on Sunday evenings at the high school and will likely add another night soon, she said.

The Columbia Falls High School volleyball program will have a familiar face at the helm of its varsity team next season.

Freshmen coach Jessy Matthews was recently hired as the new head coach. Matthews was the frosh coach for three years and was the freshmen coach at Loyola Sacred Heart school in Missoula a year before that.

Matthews takes over the program after head coach Josie Brown resigned for personal reasons at the end of the season. Brown led the team to a second-place finish in the state Class A tournament last year.

Matthews has a degree in elementary education from Carroll College and is the director of the Whitefish Community School. She played volleyball through high school at Loyola and one year at Carroll.

Matthews said she’s excited about this upcoming season, which will see a host of returning players from last year’s squad.

“We have some talented players coming up,” she said.

Matthews said her coaching philosophy is to play a quick and aggressive offense.

“We talk about being aggressive and not playing ‘not to lose,’” she said.

The program offers open gyms on Sunday evenings at the high school and will likely add another night soon, she said.