Hilton Head volleyball coach digs his sport
By Stephen Prudhomme
Staff Writer
Hilton Head Island - Garret Talarczyk developed his volleyball skills on a neighbor’s sand court in Detroit, home of the auto industry.
Now, as coach of the Hilton Head High girls’ volleyball team, he’s trying to drive the Lady Seahawks to their first state championship.
An assistant coach at Hilton Head for four years, Talarczyk took over the team last season and led the Lady Seahawks to the third round of the state playoffs; Hilton Head has advanced as far as the state title game, in 1995 and 2008.
“We didn’t have any seniors this past season,” Talarczyk notes. “This season it will be different. We should have a real good team. We have a real good chance to go to the state finals and win.”
Volleyball wasn’t Talarczyk’s only sport while growing up in Detroit. He also played golf and baseball, but volleyball was his favorite. “I enjoyed spiking the ball,” he says. “You only have a couple of seconds to hit the ball and you always have to be moving around. In baseball, you just stand around in the outfield waiting for someone to hit the ball to you.”
Talarczyk, who started playing volleyball in the sixth grade, competed at the club level while attending Western Michigan University and majoring in finance. Volleyball also factored into his romantic life. “I dated a girl who went on to play at Central Michigan,” Talarczyk says.
When the economy slowed down in Detroit, Talarczyk headed to South Carolina and got a job as a substitute teacher. The teaching continued when he became the assistant coach at Hilton Head High, and last season he had to make the transition to head coach. “You have more responsibilities and duties as head coach,” says Talarczyk, adding that his stint as assistant made for a smoother transition.
A state championship, Talarczyk says, would be rewarding from a number of standpoints.
“It would be awesome for the girls to win, especially the upcoming seniors who have worked really hard during the season and off-season,” Talarczyk says. “It would also be good for the school and for the Lowcountry. Volleyball would be recognized more and attract more players.”
Other coaches at Hilton Head High include Tim Singleton, who led the football team to a 6-5 record and a spot in the playoffs; Chris Wells, whose baseball team went 14-7; Ken Updike, who had a 6-14 record with the boys’ basketball team; Dave Greenburg, who was 7-18 with the girls’ basketball team; Joe Monmonier, who paced the boys’ lacrosse team to a 14-2 mark; and Meg Hendy, whose girls’ lacrosse team finished with a 3-8 record.
