Even before Savannah Blinn became assistant coach for the LHS varsity volleyball team this fall, she had already made an impact on many players’ lives.
Before coaching, Blinn played at the college and professional levels, as outside/right side in Austria and at Gonzaga University.
Blinn’s volleyball career all started the summer before seventh grade, when Jenifer Junior High School held a summer clinic, before tryouts.
She then played through junior high school and at LHS, where she played middle at the varsity level for four years. During that time, her achievements included winning All-American for her exploits with Gonzaga for two years in a row.
During her sophomore year Blinn started sending recruitment videos and letters to a number of coaches around the nation. Gonzaga University showed a large interest in signing her due to her unique height of 6’3’’ and her outstanding high school career. During her junior year she signed her letter of intent with the Spokane school. After graduating from LHS in 2011 she dedicated the next four and half years to volleyball at the university.
Blinn graduated from Gonzaga in December 2015. After she graduated college she played professional volleyball in Linz, Austria, for a short period of time. But when she returned from Linz, she decided that was the end of her volleyball career, she said.
“In my heart I was finished competing,” Blinn said. “But I didn’t want to give up the game completely, so coaching has been the perfect fit.”
She now is the assistant coach for the LHS varsity volleyball team, working with head coach Kelly Harwick.
Blinn coaches hitting and blocking, and teaches the players many things she learned throughout her volleyball career.
“She’s a goddess,” senior player Meg Woods said of Blinn. “She is a gift to have here for my last year.”