ALL-AREA VOLLEYBALL: Dove named Coach of the Year

When it comes to intimidation on the volleyball court, it's hard to match River Valley High coach Jenny Dove.

A standout during her playing days, Dove has brought the same level of intensity she exhibited as a player to the Falcons, and over her three years as coach, she transformed the program into one of the best in the Mid-Valley area.

This fall, Dove guided the Falcons to a 16-8 record and led River Valley to the first Tri-County Conference championship in program history.

But that's only half of the story.

To understand Dove, one has to go all the way back to her high school days in San Luis Obispo, where she emerged as one of the state's top players.

As a ferocious outside hitter, Dove was heavily recruited by several universities at the time, but without the proper guidance, she was lost in the shuffle.

"I had a ton of Division-I scholarship offers, but I didn't take the right classes and tests to go," Dove said. "I didn't know I had to take them, so I had no other choice but to go to junior college."

So Dove ended up at Yuba College — luckily for the 49ers.

During her freshman year at Yuba in 1993, her sensational all-around play and power at the net earned her Bay Valley Conference MVP honors.

She then stepped away from the sport for three years to focus on her family. During that time she got married and had two sons before returning to the 49ers in 1997.

But even her time away from the court didn't diminish her skills — she was once again named All-BVC upon her return.

After her days at Yuba were over, Dove got her first coaching gig when she was named varsity coach for Marysville at the age of just 24. She coached the Indians from 1998-2002, and in 2000 was named the A-D's All-Area Coach of the Year after leading the Indians to their first league title since 1986. Now, 11 years later, she has received the honor again.

"There's a lot of life lessons you don't know at 24, and the older I get, the more I evolve as a coach," Dove said. "The majority of my coaching lessons came at Marysville. I learned what to do and what not to do. I'm still close to a lot of the people there and I had a great time coaching."

As a fiery coach, she demands a lot from her players, but it's not for the reasons most expect. Dove's not all about wins and loses, for her, helping players reach their full potential on and off the court has become her main goal.

"I'm absolutely passionate and intense, but my priority is my players and not about winning," Dove said. "People think I'm a volleyball dictator, but that's not true. I want to prepare them for life and make them good adults.

"It's not just about volleyball for me. I genuinely care for my players."

That said, Dove coaches the same way she was coached — hard.

As a player, she had coaches push her and she applies the same tactics to her teams today.

"I had Division-I coaches in high school and on my club teams, and they were aggressive," she said. "They were in your face and you didn't whine and you didn't ask questions. You did what you were told and that's my mentality.

"I used to be a lot more aggressive and I still have my moments, but I pick and choose them better."

But despite her good intentions, Dove's hard-nosed coaching style rubbed some people the wrong way. At midseason, some parents even asked for her to be removed as coach. But with the unconditional support from her players, Dove and the Falcons soon flourished.

Team unity was the most important aspect of River Valley's success and with Dove fostering a family-like atmosphere away from the court, the Falcons became very tough to beat on it.

They finished 8-2 in TCC play to earn a share of the conference title with Inderkum, they beat perennial-power Sutter for the first time ever and went on to host the program's first playoff game.

A championship was what the team expected all along, and what makes Dove most proud was how they went about accomplishing it.

"There was no other goal. There was no reason we couldn't be champs and we talked about it all summer," Dove said. "My varsity girls have been with me for three years and they worked harder than any team in the area. They earned it."