Santa Barbarans know the power of an ace on the volleyball court. It is for this reason that the Marymount of Santa Barbara athletic crew’s newest member, Drea Dowdy, is a volleyball master both on and off the court.
Dowdy’s career both as a volleyball player and coach are equally impressive, and they will help Marymount build prowess on the courts this fall.
The school’s new coach also brings a strong background in schools, team management, teaching and administration, making her membership on the Marymount Mustang team that much more meaningful.
The athletic program at Marymount starts in junior kindergarten and continues through the middle school years.
Dedicated to the pursuit of individual and team goals, Marymount’s athletic program encourages students to realize their highest potential as athletes.
The program emphasizes skill development, a healthy attitude toward team competition and good sportsmanship; it fields teams in basketball, track, flag football, volleyball and soccer.
An active participant in the local independent school interscholastic league, Marymount’s teams offer opportunities for students to find their sport, compete and learn the valuable lessons that can only be taught through athletic collaboration.
Dowdy’s seven seasons with the Virginia Commonwealth University’s Rams from 2002-07 as an assistant coach (2002-06) and as associate head coach (2007) will come in handy as she helps Marymount’s students build the skills they will need to be successful on and off the court.
In addition to these positions, Dowdy was the head coach at the Steward School, where she also taught for three years. Most recently she was the juniors outreach manager at the Richmond Volleyball Club and varsity coach at St. Catherine’s.
Dowdy’s move to Santa Barbara is a homecoming. Originally from Santa Barbara and a 1997 graduate of Santa Barbara High School, she left the west coast to attend the University of Virginia and graduated with a degree in philosophy in 2002.
The Marymount of Santa Barbara community is thrilled to welcome Dowdy and her family back home, and it is excited to see the influence her know-how will have on a new crop of Santa Barbara youth.
— Molly Seguel is the director of admission at Marymount of Santa Barbara.