Leaders of powerhouse programs from Kentucky, Massachusetts honored after championship seasons.
Staff Report
MaxPreps.com
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced Wednesday that Todd Garvey, head girls volleyball coach at Mercy Academy in Louisville, Ky., and Tom Turco, head girls volleyball coach at Barnstable High School in Hyannis, Mass., have been selected as the 2008 AVCA National High School Coaches of the Year.
"Congratulations to both Tom and Todd," AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer said in a press release. "Both had outstanding seasons and are fine representatives of their state coaches associations in Massachusetts and Kentucky, respectively. Our Under Armour All-Americans are in for a treat.”
Garvey has been a coach at Mercy Academy for eight years, the last two as head coach, after serving as an assistant for six years under his father, longtime Jaguar mentor Ken Garvey. In just two years as head coach, Todd Garvey has compiled a record of 78-5, an impressive winning percentage of .940.
Mercy won the Kentucky High School Athletic Association state championship this season, finishing with an overall record of 40-1. The Jaguars also had success against top teams from around the country, going 17-1 against nationally-ranked opponents, earning them the top spot in some national high school polls and finishing No. 3 in the MaxPreps National Rankings presented by the National Guard
Turco, by contrast, just completed his 21st year as head coach at Barnstable. The Red Raiders went 23-1 in 2008 en route to their sixth consecutive Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletics Association Division 1 state championship. Turco’s squads have now won the state championship 12 of the past 16 seasons.
With his career record at Barnstable 467-46 (.910), including an incredible span of 110 consecutive wins from 2003-07, Turco is considered by many the most successful coach ever in Massachusetts, and one of the most successful in the Region.
Garvey and Turco were selected from a distinct group of finalists, which included: James Felton, Seton Catholic (Ariz.); Jeni Case, Cincinnati Ursuline Academy (Ohio); Gerald Moore, Lincoln Pius X (Neb.); Nora Groft, Northwestern (S.D.); Bill Morrin, Grantsburg (Wis.); Amanda Rodrigues, Hunterdon Central Regional (N.J.); George Mulry, Longmeadow (Mass.).
The AVCA will formally present the National High School Coach of the Year awards to Garvey and Turco at the 2008 Jostens Coaches Honors Luncheon in Omaha, Neb., on Thursday, December 18. The luncheon is held in conjunction with the 2008 AVCA Annual Convention.
As a result of winning AVCA National Coach of the Year honors, Garvey and Turco will lead the teams in the inaugural Under Armour All-America High School Volleyball Match and Skills Competition, December 21 at Qwest Center Omaha. Garvey will coach Team Black, whose roster includes his setter, who also happens to be his sister, Casey Garvey. Turco will coach Team Red, which features Stephanie Bristol, a
middle blocker for his Red Raiders.
Tickets for the inaugural Under Armour All-America High School Volleyball Match and Skills Competition are on sale through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com) and Qwest Center Omaha (www.qwestcenteromaha.com). The match will air on a delayed basis on ESPNU on December 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
For more on the award and other AVCA events, visit www.avca.org.
