Colleen Reagan is a physical education teacher entering her 26th year teaching at DGS and now returns as a famed volleyball coach. She was the head coach of girls varsity volleyball from 2003 to 2009. Throughout that time she led the team to a fourth place finish in the IHSA tournament in 2004. Coaching is her passion.

“I just love the connection with [the] kids… with coaching it’s just different. You spend more time together, and you feel you get to know the kids and the families better than you do just as a teacher,” Reagan said.

Reagan’s love of the sport started at a young age, in fifth grade.

“I went to a Catholic Elementary school so I was able to start playing in 5th grade. I remember being much taller than everyone else so other coaches always thought I was a year older,” Reagan said.

Reagan’s love for the sport only continued to grow as she got herself into coaching. However, due to her son being born and her priorities switching she stepped away. But when Madison Babich, the DGS Girls Varsity Volleyball coach said she was looking for help with the program, Reagan jumped on the opportunity to coach again. Reagan is now the freshman A coach of DGS volleyball.

“I have missed coaching. I really like teaching the game, and the time was right,” Reagan said.

Although Reagan is now working with different skill sets, her style of coaching doesn’t change. She wants her players to know that she coaches them just like she did her varsity team all those years ago, describing her coaching style as firm and strict.

Freshman Charlotte Manecke is a middle blocker on Reagan’s team. “She’s an amazing coach. I really like her, I think she’s definitely really hard on us, but that definitely helps me to improve as a player and as a teammate.”

For Reagan, she wants to see the girls grow as players and people. Freshman player Natalie Poynton explained how she’s had other volleyball coaches in the past but Reagan doesn’t compare.

“She’s amazing, she’s putting pressure on me and making me do things that I didn’t even think I could do,” Poynton said.

Reagan’s goals for this season go past simply winning every game, the improvement of her players is her main objective.

“Every kid has had a moment, or multiple moments, where they get it…where I tell a kid to do it like this or put the ball here and they do it and it works, and they look at me and they’re happy and I’m happy. If I can get every kid to have one of those, I think that’s going to be a really good freshman season for those kids,” Reagan said.