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Longtime Greely girls’ volleyball coach Kelvin Hasch announced earlier this week that he is retiring, after helping spark a volleyball renaissance in the state.
“I wish I could go a little longer, but I’m calling it quits,” Hasch said. “It’s gotten harder and harder with my health.”
Hasch – who created the Rangers program in 2001, at a time where volleyball was really only existent in Downeast Maine – led Greely to the state final in its first varsity season, 2002. The Rangers lost in five games to Woodland that year, but turned around and won seven straight championships between 2003 and 2009 and set a state record for consecutive match victories with 66 between Sept. 9, 2003, and Sept. 5, 2007.
“It was a lot of fun,” Hasch said. “The girls believed in themselves and they came to win.”
Hasch wound up winning 253 matches in his 19 seasons and led Greely to 10 state titles, with the most recent coming in 2016. The Rangers went 10-6 this past fall, losing to Cape Elizabeth in the Class B state semifinals.
The sport of volleyball is so big that it now encompasses three classes and Hasch, who learned the game in California and helped it spread across the state, is a big reason why.
“It’s been nice to see volleyball grow,” Hasch said. “The kids have developed and have fun. A lot of people who played high school volleyball now play in adult leagues. It’s fun to see some of the players come back and coach.”
Greely Athletic Director David Shapiro, who hailed Hasch’s impact on the sport, said that the search for a new coach will soon begin.
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