When the Whitehall girls volleyball team convenes on the court this fall, a familiar face will be leading them from the sidelines.

Victoria Bobyak, a 2012 Whitehall graduate, is now the head coach, replacing Eric Budge who led the team last season.

This will be Bobyak’s first head coaching job and she looks forward to being on the coaching side of a program she’s very familiar with after spending four years as a varsity player. She said it will be an interesting experience after living the program from the other side.

Before she accepted the Zephyr head coaching job, she was an assistant coach for Club Lehigh Power, a boys club team that features players ranging from ages 12-18. Bobyak coached the middle school team.

As she prepared for her inaugural season, Bobyak said that she’s excited about imparting her knowledge of the game to this current group of student-athletes. She sees it as a way of giving back to the school athletically, and fits with her mission as a coach, teacher and mentor. She wants to be a role model to her players both on and off the court. Bobyak wants them to strive to do their best and be the best people they can be.

And since she’s a recent graduate, she believes that will aid in communication between coach and player.

“I feel I can connect with them better,” said Bobyak. “I want to naturally bring out the best student-athlete that I can, someone who the Whitehall community can be proud of.”

Bobyak, who graduated from Moravian College in 2016, played volleyball under head coach Shelley Bauder. During her career at Whitehall she played for two coaches. Her first coach was Allen Cerrillo who helmed the team her freshman season, followed by Robert Gardner the next three years.

Bobyak said that her return to Whitehall, and now coaching the team for which she played, is a valuable opportunity. Her knowledge of the league, and what’s necessary for success, also helped make coaching at Whitehall a good fit.

“It all fell into place at the right moment,” she said.

Bobyak said that the lessons she learned while playing for Bauder is something she’ll incorporate as she begins he coaching journey. Specifically, Bauder’s emphasis on her players trying be the best student-athletes during their time in college. Bobyak said that playing volleyball at the collegiate level can be like having a full-time job, so that means one must make time for both athletics and academics. Bauder understood that.

“It was all about finding the balance of both at the collegiate level,” she said.

Bobyak will take over a team that qualified for the district tournament last season.

Bobyak said that she’s excited to begin this journey.

“I’m excited to see where it goes,” said Bobyak.