Math teacher Klein takes over Gig Harbor volleyball program

Gig Harbor High School math teacher Melissa Klein was hoping to hit the ground running as the new coach of the Gig Harbor volleyball team, but having a newborn baby has made it a bit tough in the early going.

A self-described energetic and positive coach, raising a child can be a drain on energy. But coaching the Tides has been a gift, Klein said.

“It’s easy because the Gig Harbor girls, they bring so much energy to the team,” she said. “I’ve never coached a team that gets so into the game and has such a love and passion for it. They make it easy.”

She also is getting a lot of help from her husband, Slade, who is one of the team’s assistants. Klein grew up in the small town of Salmon, Idaho, where she played volleyball. She went on to play club volleyball at the University of Idaho.

Along with her husband, Klein has coached for several years for the 253 Elite Club volleyball team, based out of Lakewood and Gig Harbor. Sue Westering, who had coached Gig Harbor for about a decade, left her post after last season’s impressive 4A state tournament run.

“Since I teach here, it was the perfect opportunity to coach where I work,” Klein said.

Klein’s practices revolve around competition.

“My husband and I are both competitive people,” she said.

The team is young, only returning one starter from a season ago in senior Marin Malich. But the team is young and hungry to ride the momentum from last year’s run.

“They had such a great year last year; we want to build off that,” Klein said. “We want to make state, make the playoffs and build off the success they had last year. As far as long-term goals, we want to make this a big program. (Westering) did a great job making it is big at the high school, we want to continue that.”

While Klein is on maternity leave from teaching with Everlyn, who was born in late August, she’s still very involved with coaching the team.

“My husband and I are both super excited about the opportunity,” she said. “Hopefully that shows in our passion for the kids and the game.”

While the team may be young, Klein expects a good season.

“There’s a lot of potential,” she said. “I’m pretty excited about it.”

This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 9:48 AM with the headline "Math teacher Klein takes over Gig Harbor volleyball program."