That was before this season, when Cass helped Chadwick enjoy a breakthrough campaign, winning the Prep League title, reaching the CIF Division V quarterfinals and finishing the season 23-2. This success is why Cass has been honored as the Daily Breeze Coach of the Year.

"I began to doubt I could lift a team a little higher or push them to a level like we achieved this year," Cass said. "Some of the boys had been with me a few years and they were mature enough to understand how to get to the next level. Last year, and the year before, every close game we were in, we pretty much were guaranteed to lose. We couldn't get over the hump until this year. We had a lot of matches that were tight, and we were able to do it."

The Dolphins went undefeated in league, thanks in large part to Cass, who started the program six years ago after joining the Chadwick staff as a math teacher.

"I can't say enough about him," senior David Byren said. "He helped us go from really a Little League type that grew into a team that can compete with teams competing for years before us.

Cass, who grew up in Santa Barbara, played volleyball in high school and college and thought it would be a lot of fun to coach. So he restarted a program that had been dormant and slowly built the foundation for a championship-caliber team. Anita Drennan, the girls volleyball coach, assists Cass and has helped the 35-year-old coach learn what it takes to build a program.

"The first year, I managed to grab six boys who weren't playing other sports," Cass said. "We had 19 kids come out for the program this year, and that's a record for us. It was enough guys to do a varsity and JV team."

Cass hopes to continue to develop the volleyball program while partaking in several other extracurricular activities at Chadwick. Cass runs the improv program and is involved with student wellness groups.

This is cache, read story here