The new face at the helm of the Aberdeen Christian volleyball program is also a familiar one to the Aberdeen region.

Former Northern State standout Sally Gaul will take over the Knights’ program. 

Gaul spent two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Northern following a playing career that saw her earn three All-NSIC honors and an All-America award. She holds the single-match record for kills (26) and closed her career with 1,335 total kills, second on NSU’s all-time list.

Gaul, who came to Aberdeen from Des Moines, Iowa, has cemented her place in the Aberdeen community. She is currently teaching Spanish at Aberdeen Central, which is how she found herself in a conversation for the Knights’ position.

“It’s funny,” Gaul said. “Andre Cobbs (Christian girls’ basketball coach) is a teacher at Central, and he gave them my name. … They called me, and I had interest right away.”

Gaul noted she is familiar with several of the players on the Knights’ volleyball roster, having trained some of them last summer in a private lesson setting.

“I really liked their determination and the desire to get better,” Gaul said.

Gaul, who also has coaching experience at the club level, said she has always felt at home in Aberdeen. 

“I love Aberdeen,” she said. “I’ve loved it since I got here in 2018. My fiance and I just got engaged and just bought a house, and it’s really setting in that this is going to be my forever home. I’ve thought of it as home for the last six years, now it’s going to be that forever (home). I really do love it here.”

Gaul inherits a program that went 17-13 overall and advanced to the Region 1 semifinals before falling to eventual state runner-up Warner. 

“You’re never going to get better if you’re not being challenged,” Gaul said of competing in a region with the likes of perennial powerhouses Warner, Northwestern and Hitchcock-Tulare. “I’m really excited to face off against some of the best teams in the state.”

Christian had just two seniors on the varsity roster last season, leaving the cupboards well stocked for Gaul’s first season at the helm.

“I love that they want to get better and improve their game,” she said. “I find that really exciting, especially coming in as a head coach to a new program, it’s going to be very helpful that they all want to be there and want to work to perfect their game.”