High school volleyball: Sandusky grad Capreece Irby always admired the Lorain Titans; now she gets to coach them

Capreece Irby always knew there was something special about Lorain volleyball. Now she'll get the chance to experience it firsthand. Irby was recently named Lorain's volleyball coach, replacing Chantille Jackson, who resigned following the 2021 season. A 2011 Sandusky grad, Irby was able to play and coach against many Lorain teams and she was always impressed about what those teams brought to the court. "Just watching the Lorain girls play I've always said if I had the opportunity to be a part of that community and make an impact it would be something I'd love to do," Irby said. "I love their mentality, I love the tradition of the school." Irby was a four-year starter at Sandusky, earning All-Northwest District and All-Greater Buckeye Conference honors. She also lettered in basketball and track and field and went on to play two years at Muskingum University before finishing her academic career at the University of Akron. In recent years she coached freshman volleyball and middle school basketball at Sandusky. "It was very tough to leave Sandusky but it allowed me to regroup and reground myself and really focus on what I want to do," Irby said. "I realized I want to coach at a higher level. I am really excited to use my knowledge and passion for the game at the varsity level. I'm also excited to make a difference in the lives of the girls and help mold them into great young women." Lorain athletic director Bryan Koury saw Irby as a perfect fit to take the Titans program to the next level. "Coach Irby brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Lorain City Schools, but most importantly, she has a passion for working with youth," Koury said in a news release. "Everyone that we spoke with raved about Coach Irby as both a person and coach. We are very excited about the future of Lorain volleyball." Irby knows she has her work cut out for her replacing Jackson, who won two Lake Erie League titles at Lorain. "I know I have huge shoes to fill, their former coach was so awesome," Irby said. "She made a big impact on those girls and I'm excited to carry that on and hopefully make her proud and make the school proud as well." After meeting some of her new players, Irby is excited to get to work preparing for the 2022 season. "I met with a few of the girls," Irby sai. "They're great girls. I can already tell it's going to be a lot of fun. They have great attitudes and there is a good atmosphere around the team. "This whole summer is going to be me getting to know them and them getting to know me. We have to build that level of trust to get the girls to buy in to what I have laid out for the program. I'm excited for the challenge. Nothing great ever comes without a little bit of hard work. I'm super excited, I can't wait to get to know the girls, get some camps going and get some conditioning in this summer. It's a fresh start for all of us and I'm ready." Contact Todd Shapiro at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.