“A position I’ve always wanted” led Sue Dillon to a 2022 AAAA SCISA Coach of the Year Award. 

From friends’ enthusiasm about the school to noticing something new every time she came to campus to coach for opposing teams, Dillon knew Ben Lippen was something special. 

The athletic record was not the only incentive that drew her in. She admired the Christian atmosphere and strives to keep a godly center on every practice and game. Individual relationships among coaches and players are what take a team from good to great, but a relationship with Jesus Christ is even more powerful. If Dillon can be a conduit for healthy spiritual and social relationships, then she counts it a success. 

“Relationships in sports are everything,” she said. “You also need to realize that as a coach, you need to be open to learning from your players as much as they learn from you.”

Relationships are not the sole end-all-be-all of a season—volleyball can teach lots of life lessons, from teamwork to perseverance to the follies of striving for perfection, players’ learning continues on the court instead of ending in the classroom. 

One lesson Dillon strives to instill in her players is that “life is very much like the game.”

“(In life,) sometimes you will win, and sometimes you will lose,” Dillon said. “And either way, you need to be okay with it. You need to be able to come away with your head held high saying you gave your all.”