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09/20/2018 12:00 AMThe Valley Regional volleyball program welcomes a new coach to the bench this season in Geane Giordano, who is coaching the Warriors’ junior varsity squad. Geane is a native of Brazil, where volleyball is second only to soccer in popularity. After moving to North Carolina in 2001, Geane started teaching physical education at the middle school level and also coached several sports. Now that she’s Valley’s JV coach, Geane is looking to use her experience to benefit the Warriors.
When Geane started coaching volleyball in North Carolina, she helped rebuild a program that hadn’t seen much success. Geane’s team won a championship in her third season and stayed near the top of its league throughout her tenure. That remains one of the proudest accomplishments in Geane’s coaching career thus far.
“I was coaching soccer, and I told the director I wanted to try coaching the volleyball team. I left soccer and went to volleyball,” says Geane, an Essex resident who teaches at Chester Elementary School. “I brought what I learned in Brazil. We looked to build an overall volleyball athlete. We were champions in my third year, then we made top three in the conference after that. From that point on, we were competitive, and they were more successful. I was very fortunate to be in a large school, and I had a huge pool of athletes trying out.”
Geane tried her hand at a variety of sports while growing up in Brazil. As a result, she has experience coaching and playing several sports aside from volleyball and soccer. Still, Geane likes coaching volleyball the most.
“I coached swimming, soccer, and I also coached volleyball. I did volleyball mostly before I moved to Connecticut,” Geane says. “I played volleyball for a while in high school. I also used to play basketball and team handball, which is big in Brazil. Although I played all those sports, I prefer to coach volleyball even over soccer.”
Geane is using her passion for volleyball to motivate the Warriors in her new role. She particularly enjoys the combination of speed and strength that are required to execute game-winning plays on a regular basis.
“I think volleyball is a beautiful game. What I like is its complexity. The skills are more complex,” she says. “It’s a very fast-paced game. You have to have power and grace at the same time. I found it fascinating for those reasons.”
Volleyball is a sport of momentum and runs. A set or a match is always winnable, regardless of the score, and Geane tries to convey that sentiment to Valley’s players. Geane wants to see the Warriors adhere to that mentality and battle for every point.
“Sometimes a team has momentum, and that can always change either way. I tell my players to play one point at a time. Maybe the other team is on a good run, but that can change,” says Geane. “It takes that mental toughness in all sports, but especially volleyball. Once you have the one point, that momentum can come back to you. It can seem to change things. That’s the part I love about volleyball.”
Valley Head Coach Kathy Scott is excited about the skill-set that Geane brings to the table and says the Warriors are fortunate to have Geane aboard. With Geane’s background in physical education and as a coach, Scott thinks that she’s the perfect fit at Valley Regional.
“Geane brings quite a lot to our program. First, she is from Brazil, a country known for their love of volleyball, and she also has coaching experience from a large middle school program in North Carolina. She knows what it takes to develop a team,” Scott says. “As a physical education teacher, she is really good at analyzing movement and skill development. Many of our players had Coach Giordano as their teacher, so that is a plus, as well. She is a great addition to our program and JV players have already made some great gains in their skills.”
Geane says that she’s already seeing Valley’s JV team make the adjustments that she wants at this stage of the season. Like anything, it will take some time to improve, but Geane feels encouraged by the early returns.
“We’re so far 2-2 this year. I am pleased with the way they are progressing. They were a little bit nervous, and now, they are starting to understand how fast the game is. They know the mistakes will come, but they get right back at it,” says Geane, who thanks her husband Frank, her son Lucca, and Coach Scott for their support. “They have the right to make mistakes. Winning is important, but it’s not the most important thing at this level. I want to see these kids develop all around the court—in the back row, the front row. We have to develop players that excel in a variety of situations. We’re looking long term. They are our future varsity players.”