INSIDE THE HUDDLE: THE IMPACT OF COACH ASHLEY DYCHES

Coach Dyches and the Lady Mustangs after their Bi-District Championship win over Dumas.

Today my heart is sad seeing the Andrews volleyball job posted because I know just how incredible the shoes are that will have to be filled.

As Coach Ashley Dyches prepares to head south to Gregory Portland, I wanted to take a moment to bring y’all “Inside the Huddle” and share a little about the kind of coach the Wildcats are getting.

One of the biggest blessings of what we do at Sideline Sports is the opportunity to meet coaches from all across West Texas and around the state. Over the years I’ve gotten to know some incredible people and some incredible developers of talent who know how to put athletes in position to win at a high level.

I separate those two things intentionally because they do not always go hand in hand.

There’s a reason people say, “They win the right way.”

Anyone who has spent time around high level athletics knows there are levels to coaching. It doesn’t take long around the great ones to realize they’re different.

The first time I met Coach Dyches was at Bev Ball in Abilene and two things became obvious very quickly:

First, she can absolutely coach the game of volleyball.

Coach Dyches coaching the Lady Mustangs in Abilene at the Bev Ball Classic.

Second, the relationship she had with her athletes was special.

The way those girls responded to her told you everything you needed to know.

When I got home from Abilene, I started doing my homework because historically Andrews was not viewed as a volleyball powerhouse. The numbers backed that up too as the Lady Mustangs had gone a combined 19-44 in the two seasons before Coach Dyches arrived.

Which makes what she built even more impressive.

In her time leading the program, Andrews went 94-35.

But honestly, the wins were not what stood out most to me.

What stood out was how much she genuinely loved her athletes.

I never had to chase her down for scores, stats or information. She was always the first to send game logs, celebrate her players and promote the accomplishments of her girls. And when her athletes were hurting, struggling or facing adversity, she was the first to ask for prayers.

As I got to know Coach Dyches more, it became very clear that while she was fiercely competitive on the court, she was equally committed to helping her athletes become everything God created them to be off the court.

Over and over parents would tell me stories about the impact she had on their daughters not just as volleyball players, but as young women.

So it came as absolutely no surprise when she was nominated for the THSCA Grant Teaff Coach Beyond the Game Award this year.

In our house we talk often about asking God to close the doors He wants closed and open the ones He wants opened. Sometimes the hardest transitions in life end up becoming the greatest blessings later on, even when we do not fully understand them in the moment.

I truly believe God has a way of redirecting great people toward places where their gifts, leadership and impact are fully valued.

Now Coach Dyches gets the opportunity to walk into a new chapter with Gregory Portland and continue pouring into young women at a high level.

Sometimes faith looks like trusting God enough to walk through the next open door.

Congratulations to Gregory Portland Volleyball and the Wildcats.

Y’all are getting a GREAT one.