2009 girls volleyball Coach of the Year

Dan Glenn was handed the reigns to the Newport Harbor girls volleyball program in 1987. Since then, he has won seven CIF championships and five state crowns.

At some point, Glenn will move on from the position, but the coach in him might never quit.

"I love the game," he said. "It's part of what I do. I coach so the girls can do certain things, but the girls need to run with it."

This year's players did, and they captured the CIF-SS Division I-AA title and the CIF Division I state title. Newport Harbor beat Sunset League rival Los Alamitos in the sectional final before upsetting Dos Pueblos of Goleta, which was ranked No. 5 in the nation at the time, in the state semifinals.

As a result, Glenn is the Register's girls volleyball Coach of the Year.

"I think it is a reflection of the success of the team," Glenn said. "I think it has to do with what these girls have been doing. We try to figure out a way to execute things the right way and we focus on that. That's what I enjoy doing."

No matter the score, the coaching doesn't stop. No matter the player, the coaching doesn't end.

Glenn is the first to concede he works his players hard, but his players are the first to say he's fair and treats everyone equally.

In the state championship match, Newport Harbor won the first two games easily and had a huge lead in Game 3 when Katey Thompson – the Register's Player of the Year – failed to get off the net for a set.

"I look over at him and he's just shaking his head," Thompson said. "He looks at me and says, 'Thompson, put your pom-poms away and get into the game.'

"One of the things I learned, is he knows what he is doing. I believe in what he is teaching."

Intensity like that is contagious. So is hard work. Glenn sets the tone for both for his players.

Assistant coach and former player Taylor Govaars, who was part of Newport Harbor's 1999 state title team, has witnessed Glenn's work ethic from both sides.

"He is never complacent with the way it is," she said. "He is always working for you to be your best. You think you are working hard, but there is a whole other level of working hard that he brings out. He's at school at 5 a.m. I don't think he ever sleeps."

During the time she's spent with Glenn from a player to four years of coaching with him, Govaars said only a few small things have changed.

"He definitely has the same intensity," she said. "Every year he will find changes with the team and does what works with that set of girls. In that way, he always finds what works for the team.

"But he absolutely has the same intensity, though he is a little more laid back on certain things. We used to have practice at 7 a.m. on Saturday, but he didn't have kids back then."

Glenn and his wife, Mary, have four children – Hailey (9), Jaden (7), Tegan (5) and Brogan (2). The children can be seen running around at home games, and they are a big reason why Glenn remains so grounded.

Despite being the most successful active coach in the county, Glenn carries himself with the demeanor of a first-year assistant.

"Humility, that is totally him," Govaars said. "As a person, he is totally like that and it reflects on the players."