Arlington volleyball coach Whitney Williams directs the Eagles during a match against Shorecrest on Sept. 17, 2019 in Arlington. Williams was hired as the new volleyball coach at Everett Community College. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

Arlington volleyball coach Whitney Williams directs the Eagles during a match against Shorecrest on Sept. 17, 2019 in Arlington. Williams was hired as the new volleyball coach at Everett Community College. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

New Everett CC volleyball coach aiming for culture change

Whitney Williams revived the Arlington High School program, and plans to do the same for the Trojans.

Whitney Williams has always enjoyed a good underdog story.

Ever since Williams was a kid she’s been a big fan of inspirational sports movies, the ones like Rudy or Hoosiers in which an athlete or team overcomes tremendous odds to succeed.

Williams wrote a sports success story of her own at her alma mater, taking an Arlington High School volleyball program that was in the doldrums and transforming it into a perennial power.

Now Williams is being charged with doing the same for the moribund Everett Community College volleyball team.

Williams made the difficult decision to leave an Arlington program that reached an apex less than two months ago, and now she’s taking the next step in her coaching progression with the intention of turning the Trojans around in the same way she righted the Eagles.

“It’s super exciting and obviously overwhelming,” Williams said. “I’m entering a world I haven’t been a part of as a head coach. But I’m really excited for the opportunity and I’m excited to take my coaching career to the next level.”

“We’re extremely excited to have her on board,” Everett athletic director Garet Studer said. “I think she’s going to be the spark our program needs. We have all the tools for a coach to be successful. We have tremendous support at Everett for athletics and we have one of the best facilities in (the Northwest Athletic Conference). Couple that with her personality and I think we’re going to be a top-caliber program in the very near future.”

Williams, a 2004 Arlington graduate, played for Eagles volleyball teams that were more like film’s Bad News Bears prior to the arrival of Amanda Whurlitzer and Kelly Leak, and before Morris Buttermaker started taking coaching seriously. When Williams was hired as the team’s head coach in 2014 the Eagles weren’t in any better shape, having won just 11 matches over the previous five years.

But Williams’ arrival produced immediate results. In her first season in charge Arlington finished 9-3 in Wesco 3A play and 11-6 overall. In 2016 the Eagles went 11-1 in league play to claim the Wesco 3A title and qualified for state, just the second state appearance in school history and the first in 20 years. Then this past season Arlington was a perfect 14-0 in league, returned to state, placed sixth to earn its first-ever volleyball state trophy, and Williams was named the Herald’s Volleyball Coach of the Year. Overall Arlington was 97-35 in Williams’ six seasons.

So leaving Arlington was not an easy choice for Williams.

“This was a really hard decision,” Williams said. “My time in Arlington was incredible. More than anything I wanted to give an experience to the girls that I was not able to have in high school. We weren’t a very good team, but Arlington had the athletes and resources to be amazing. I felt my connection there and thought I could make a difference. I set out to change the culture and get the girls believing they were capable of something amazing. The

first open gym after I was hired I wrote, ‘State champions,’ on the board and the girls looked at me like I was out of my mind. Now there’s a great culture where players start younger and come to camps excited. It was the craziest ride and a rewarding experience for me personally.”

What Williams finds at Everett are circumstances that are even worse than the ones she inherited at Arlington. Since the Northwest Athletic Conference began playing volleyball in 1978, the Trojans have had nearly six times as many seasons where they went winless in region play (17) than they had winning campaigns (three). It’s been just as bad in recent years, as the Trojans went 2-46 in region play and 12-106 overall the past four seasons.

Williams was first approached by Studer about the position last summer, but though Williams always had the goal of coaching in college, she decided the time wasn’t right, particularly with the high school season so close to starting. When Studer returned following the state tournament, it all felt right.

“Things in my volleyball coaching career have been serendipitous,” Williams said. “When I moved back to Arlington (in 2014, after spending four years as an assistant coach at Timpview High School in Provo, Utah) there wasn’t a job available, but a few months later the coach resigned and I was told I needed to apply. Things have lined up perfectly, and with wanting to pursue college coaching this was something I couldn’t deny.”

So what kind of coach is Everett getting?

“They’re getting somebody who is really driven,” Arlington athletic director Tom Roys said. “Whitney is incredibly organized and has incredibly detailed practice plans. She creates a great foundation in fundamentals, and she really does a good job of laying that base and building up from it.”

Williams’ time at Arlington allowed her to form relationships with area high school coaches, which both she and Studer are hoping will help with recruiting. Volleyball is also a sport in which just a handful of players can make a huge difference, so it’s possible to turn things around quickly, particularly at the two-year level where player turnover is constant.

But given Everett’s history, Williams’ biggest task is making people believe.

“I want to instill the confidence in the players that if they work hard, they’re capable of doing more than they’ve ever done before,” Williams said.

Williams has done it once before. The Trojans are hoping she can do it again.

If you have an idea for a community sports story, email Nick Patterson at npatterson@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Sports

Monroe's Halle Keller drives past Meadowdale's Payton Fleishman during a Feb. 14, 2025 3A District 1 playoff game at Meadowdale High School. (Qasim Ali / The Herald)
Last-second layup powers Monroe past Mavs

The Bearcats staged a 50-49 road upset in a district playoff clash.

Shorecrest’s Cassie Chesnut leaps in the air to block a shot by Shorewood’s Bridget Cox during the 3A district playoff game on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Shoreline, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Shorecrest girls win rubber match against Shorewood

Cassie Chesnut’s 28 points, 18 rebounds pushes the Scots to District 1 3A semifinals with 53-38 win.

Snohomish’s Kendall Hammer yells in celebration with teammate Snohomish’s Sienna Capelli after she makes a shot and is fouled during the game on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Prep basketball roundup for Friday, Feb. 14

Snohomish, Stanwood girls cruise into district semis.

Vote for The Herald’s Prep Athlete of the Week for Feb. 2-8

The Athlete of the Week nominees for Feb. 2-8. Voting closes at… Continue reading

Mountlake Terrace’s Svayjeet Singh leaps in the air after the basketball during the 3A district loser-out playoff game against Snohomish on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish upsets Mountlake Terrace for first playoff win in 11 years

Bryson Wheat scored 25 in Panthers’ 49-43 win to advance to the District 1 Boys 3A quarterfinals

Julio Rodríguez (left) and manager Dan Wilson (right) of the Seattle Mariners react after the game against the Oakland Athletics at T-Mobile Park on Sept. 27, 2024, in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images / Tribune News Services)
Dan Wilson begins first spring training as M’s manager

An anxious eagerness to get through the first of… Continue reading

Marysville Getchell junior Bubba Palocol reverses directions while dribbling against Arlington during a playoff matchup at Arlington High School on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, in Arlington, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Prep basketball roundup for Thursday, Feb. 13

Marysville Getchell, Lakewood boys each earn district wins

Kenneth Walker III runs with against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Dec. 1, 2024. (Photo courtesy of the Seattle Seahawks)
Seahawks hire run game coach

Justin Outten added to staff as Mike Macdonald continues attempts to bolster rushing attack.

Balanced scoring attack leads Gonzaga

Zags take over second place in WCC with 88-77 win over USF.

Shorewood senior Bridget Cox (11) elevates to get a shot over Everett senior Aimelie Hovde-Girard (21) in Shorewood's 41-30 win in the opening round of the District 1 3A Girls Tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025 in Shoreline, Washington. (Joe Pohoryles / The Herald)
Shorewood girls basketball avoids Everett upset bid in 41-30 win

Glasser’s ‘dagger’ 3 caps second-half run, pushes No. 5 Stormrays to 3A District 1 Quarterfinals

Prep roundup for Wednesday, Feb. 12

Terrace, Monroe girls advance in district hoops tournament.

Kimberly Beard, a Mukilteo resident who attends King's High School, prepares to release a throw during the 20-pound weight competition at George Fox University in Newberg, Ore. on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Donna Beard)
Mukilteo’s Kimberly Beard wins throwing event

The King’s High School junior won the 20-pound weight throw at a George Fox indoor meet.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.