Harr named new Medical Lake volleyball coach

Medical Lake High School completed filling what were three vacant head coaching positions with the announcement last week that Todd Harr will take over the volleyball program.

Earlier, Mo Owens was chosen to fill the football vacancy left with the retirement of Wes Hobbs. Noel Hachtel will take over for Arnold Brown in boys' basketball after Brown's contract was not renewed.

Harr replaces Kari Knowlton, who earlier submitted her resignation after just one year to accept a teaching position in her hometown of Brewster, Wash.

The 2008 Ephrata High School graduate is the fifth head coach for the Cardinals since 2007, but hopes he is the one who can put his passion for the sport of volleyball to work to stabilize and reinvigorate a struggling program.

A secondary education major at Eastern Washington University who is wrapping up his degree, Harr was an assistant tennis coach this past spring at Medical Lake. He did some substitute teaching, including a long-term job at the end of the school year.

"Todd's got a wealth of experience with volleyball," assistant athletics director Justin Blayne said. "With his coaching experience and his connection of the school he was a logical fit."

Harr played one year of high school basketball and four years of tennis and went to state his senior year.

But volleyball is his forte.

"I'm bigger into volleyball playing-wise, coaching-wise and (have) more of a background with volleyball," Harr said.

Playing men's volleyball in an informal setting back home, Harr started playing the sport in high school. But without a true league and school competition, his focus changed to coaching.

"I helped out at Eastern as a volunteer assistant," he said. Harr held the same position at Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake. "I just came to love the sport and wanted to give back."

Men's volleyball is not on the radar in the Northwest, but Harr went to Southern California where it is huge.

"I have a few friends I met through coaching that play professionally in California," Harr said. He went to stay with them and was shocked at how popular the beach version of the sport is in that part of the country.

"It's a whole new deal down there," the 26-year-old Harr said.

His immersion into volleyball came from going to open gym matches of four-on-four play. One of the players had played collegiately in California and began to serve as a tutor for Harr.

He currently plays in tournaments both with men and co-ed teams and is headed to Portland for a Fourth of July tournament.

Harr is already working with the team in an unofficial summer setting.

"We're all going to sit down as a team and come up with goals," Harr said. That means having small goals and steps to get to the bigger, long-term ones they want to reach.

Harr and assistant coach Makenzie Cromer hope to provide an atmosphere where they can build a program over the next few years.

Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.