The new leader of Powell High School’s volleyball program is a familiar face.
Lesli Spencer, who coached the freshman team at PHS last fall, has been named the new varsity head …
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The new leader of Powell High School’s volleyball program is a familiar face.
Lesli Spencer, who coached the freshman team at PHS last fall, has been named the new varsity head coach. Her promotion comes a month after the previous coach, Tasha Miller, stepped down from the role.
A 1992 PHS grad, Spencer brings roughly 20 years of volleyball coaching experience between the club and high school levels. In 2020, she led the freshman squad to an impressive 15-3 campaign.
The coach will keep 2020 assistant Chelsi Graham on staff, hoping to build on the recent success of the lower levels of the program.
“Coach Graham and I felt like we were going in the right direction and didn’t want that to change,” Spencer said. “Coaches are continually learning and trying to better their system to improve their teams. I am thankful that I have coach Graham by my side in this endeavor.”
With so many years coaching youth volleyball and personal relationships with dozens of Panther athletes, Spencer feels she will connect well with the players of all levels.
“I feel that those relationships are important,” Spencer said. “The girls understand my coaching style and what to expect from me. Coach Graham and I are lucky to know these girls and have good relationships with them.”
For PHS activities director Scott McKenzie, he saw Spencer — a Powell native with volleyball coaching experience — as the perfect fit.
“We are excited for coach [Lesli] Spencer to take over the reins,” McKenzie said. “She has been instrumental in the development and success of our local club teams in the spring. She knows the girls and their strengths and weaknesses.”
PHS most recently made the state tournament in 2019, then posted back-to-back losing seasons at the varsity level in 2020 and 2021. Hoping to become a juggernaut within the state, Spencer has lofty goals for her program.
“We want to be a team that other teams get nervous about when they play us,” she said. “We would like to become the team to beat.”