Riverdale hires Zach Lynne, former Stetson University assistant, as volleyball head coach

Riverdale volleyball will have a new face leading from the sideline, as the Raiders announced that Zach Lynne will be taking over as head coach following Jessica Beall's departure.

Beall was the Raiders head coach for two seasons, and Riverdale amassed a 31-16 record with a district title and two regional appearances.

Lynne arrives after serving one year as an assistant at Stetson University. Before his tenure for the Hatters, he served as one of several head coaches for UpOnTop club volleyball while also serving as the head coach at Lincoln Park Academy in Fort Pierce.

While at Lincoln Park, Lynne helped the Greyhounds to an 11-8 record with a berth in the Class 3A-District 7 championship.

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Before becoming a coach, Lynne was a libero at Kean University, where the Cougars appeared in three NCAA Division III tournaments, including an Elite 8 finish in 2016.

"Being at Stetson, I was fortunate enough to be under a great head coach in Yang Deng," Lynne said. "She is a former professional volleyball player in China. So I was very fortunate to be under her tutelage and learn how to further effectively handle team dynamics. Then even more so on the technical side of things with the actual volleyball skills. So I'm excited to bring what I've learned from there into what I can create at Riverdale."

"We're fortunate to have someone with the track record of high character and wealth of knowledge that [Lynne] possesses having coached at the DI level," said Riverdale athletic director Justin Budmayr. "He knows what it takes to reach that level, but I also believe he's going to bring tremendous energy and make it fun for the girls that compete as a part of the Riverdale Community... We believe Coach Lynne will continue to build on the foundation that Coach Roni Hipp and Coach Beall after her, worked so hard to establish."

Lynne knows that Riverdale is a storied program. The Raiders have not had a losing season since 2006 and are a staple in regional play, and he hopes to carry on that standard.

"So honestly, I applied for a P.E. job at Riverdale, not knowing that they needed a volleyball coach," Lynne said. "So when they told me they needed one, and it definitely caught my attention. And they told me a bit about the program and just how historically, it's been pretty much a powerhouse, and at this point it's almost a dynasty. So I really didn't know what I was getting into when I hopped in that Zoom call for the interview, but I'm super excited to be able to carry on the legacy and now hold the reins of the Riverdale volleyball program."

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Lynne is keenly aware how important it is to get everyone on the same page in his first year at the helm. So while expectations may be high for Lynne and his team, he says he has to put first things first before looking too far down the road.

"My first thing that I really hone in on and make sure is solid from the ground up is team culture," Lynne said. "Because we cannot be a team and effectively work together on a volleyball court if we are not a team, if we are not together, if we don't have a good basis of who we are, what we want to be, and how to work together. So from there, once I feel comfortable enough to segue into getting into real volleyball, action-packed learning, and stuff like that, we need to be a team first. But I am excited that the floor is a bit higher here, just in terms of the historic nature of Riverdale and the current roster, I think I can start off with a higher level of volleyball than I may be accustomed to at the high school level.

"My only real expectation is to make a team," Lynne continued. "It goes back to that culture. Ideally, I'd like to follow in the footsteps of at least making state appearances and stuff like that. But if I fall short of that, I don't see it as a failure, because it is my first season. I'd like to make sure that I have a good culture set up."

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Riverdale hires Zach Lynne, former Stetson University assistant, as volleyball head coach