New Men’s Volleyball Coach to ‘Set’ Team into New Era

Bluefield College has a new men’s volleyball head coach, and he’s coming out swinging for the “kill.”

Alfonso Alvarez comes to Bluefield from Miami, Fla., where he has accumulated a wealth of coaching experience at many levels of the sport from club to collegiate, including most recently as the head coach for women’s volleyball at Florida Memorial University. Before that, he was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Trinity International University, his alma mater.

Alvarez also coached an AAU club 10-under to 18-under squad, as well as a high school team. With these teams he earned many accolades, including an AAU National Championship, high school district championships, and many tournaments. And while he has also set a number of school records for wins in a season, he said he never lets the wins distract him.

“I’m always looking for the next one,” he said.

The men’s volleyball coaching position became vacant this past fall after head coach Ray Vance departed to spend more time with his family. Coach Alvarez had recently moved to North Carolina for a different head coaching opportunity that didn’t pan out. He then inquired about the position at BC, which he said offered him “the chance to impact people, the game of volleyball, and Bluefield College as a whole.”

Coach Alvarez also expressed admiration for BC’s athletic administration, especially Athletic Director Tonia Walker and her vision for the programs at Bluefield. He also spoke highly of the “Christian aspect” of Bluefield College.

And while he’s thankful for the opportunity to serve at BC, when it comes to coaching volleyball, Alvarez said he never thought he would be coaching the sport. He had always played baseball and expected to end up in that profession.

“If the Lord gives you lemons, make lemonade,” Alvarez said about the way in which he ended up a volleyball coach. In fact, he said he goes where God takes him.

Alvarez got into volleyball his sophomore year in college when the women’s coach took him under his wing as an intern assistant coach. Coach Alvarez said that he was just shagging balls during practice, but he built his all-around volleyball knowledge through translating for the head coach, who came to America from Cuba and spoke no English.

Now as the leader of the men’s volleyball program at BC, Coach Alvarez said he thinks there are no real challenges for him and the team, as they look at obstacles as opportunities instead of problems. He said he thinks his style of coaching is what will set Bluefield apart from its opponents. The team practices faster than they play, and the coach challenges the players to be fearless on the court.

“He’s a good coach and very determined,” said sophomore Terrell Boston about the new coach’s style. “He likes to switch things up that we did in the past to make us look better.”

Senior Carleek Owens said Coach Alvarez “does things differently, and he came up with a system change so many teams don’t know what (we) will run.” Freshman General Smith agreed.

“I like his style and that he is getting us better at our position,” Smith said. “He’s teaching us new things about the systems we run.”

Now in his 22nd year of coaching, Coach Alvarez said he sometimes thinks about retirement, but then remembers everything he would miss about coaching. When asked what he would miss the most, he said, “The relationships with the players is the thing that matters the most.” In fact, he went into detail about how he still keeps in touch with some of his previous players. The other aspects he said he would miss are practice planning and strategic planning.

For now, Coach Alvarez said he wants to focus on making a difference for men’s volleyball at Bluefield College. He said he hopes everyone will come out to home matches to cheer on the team as they strive for a successful season.