BRUCEVILLE-EDDY, Texas (KXXV) — The Bruceville-Eddy Eagles' new volleyball coach joined the team during the week of the team's first game, after their previous coach left.
To fill that spot, Athletic Director Marcial Chapa hired his wife, Kym Chapa.
"It was very last minute — of course, I'm thinking, 'Oh my gosh, we have four kids, it's coach Chapa's first year as an AD, and I'm supposed to be here for him as a coach's wife' — and then I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, these girls need a volleyball coach'," Kym Chapa said.
Along with being a teacher at Bruceville-Eddy, Chapa has several years of volleyball coaching experience — she, along with Assistant Coach Wendy Flynn, have been bonding with the Lady Eagles.
"We just didn't know what to look forward to in the season — we don't know the coach, so it could either be like good or bad," said senior player, Payton Pearson.
"Luckily for us, it ended up really good for us — she's really including, and we've had talks as teams, and we've been able to come together and improve."
"They're loving the atmosphere," Chapa said.
"We're tough but we praise them at the same time — I even told coach Chapa [Marcial Chapa] the other day, 'I really like these girls, they're great kids'."
It's a big change for the players and an even bigger change for the Chapa family, as they've had to adjust their family life to coach — but for them, it's just another day.
"I was like, 'These girls, there's no way they're going to find a head coach in time', so [Marcial] Chapa and I just talked, and we decided that this was probably what was going to be best for the team," Chapa said.
"Not necessarily what was going to be easiest for our family."
"The process — we've been through it before. We're either coming or going — saying hi and bye," Marcial Chapa said.
"This morning, she was up at five and she was out the door and I was 'Mr. Mom' — got the kids ready, took him to daycare, took them to school, and most times she does that, but the day she goes early then I have to do that — we're used to it. This is what we do."
Up next for the Lady Eagles, is going on the road against Riesel on September 17.
