Hedden Leads 5-1 Dragons Into SPC Championship Play
SPC Conference Championships are November 3-4 in Austin.
As The John Cooper School volleyball team heads to Austin to compete in the Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) Championship on Nov 3-4, Ray Hedden, Cooper’s new head volleyball coach, looks back on his first season.
“My first year has been a ton of fun. A volleyball season comes with so many ups and downs and for us this year it has been a lot more ups,” said Hedden, whose team heads to the championships as the #2 seed. “I have enjoyed watching this team build a winning chemistry, not only through the wins and losses, but through the road trips and team dinners.”
The Dragons head to the championships with a 5-1 conference record and a 28-9 season record.
“I believe we are in the perfect mind-set going into SPC,” he said. “We are training on the right things, working to improve and getting healthy. We believe if we play our game and stay true to our abilities then we should be there when the dust settles.”
Hedden was a familiar face to some Cooper volleyball players as a former club coach for Houston Juniors Volleyball Club and a former general manager at 24-Hour Fitness. In addition to coaching at Cooper he is also a training director and recruiting coordinator at Woodlands Revolution Volleyball.
Hedden grew up in Deer Park. “I played football as a running back for Deer Park while running track as a sprinter,” he said. “I was introduced to volleyball at 14 and then at 15 I joined the Club Texas boys’ team. At 16 and 17 I played in my first Junior Olympics as a hitter first year and setter the second.”
Volleyball even played a part in meeting his wife, Nicole, who is head softball coach at Cooper, as they met on opposite sides of a volleyball net.
Volleyball even played a part in meeting his wife, Nicole, who is head softball coach at Cooper, as they met on opposite sides of a volleyball net.
“The best part about teaching is watching an athlete’s skill set improve and the confidence and work ethic that comes with it,” said Hedden. “The best part of my job comes when the kids call or text me and let me know that they were able to commit to play at the next level. It’s a call that chokes me up every time as they feel, in that moment, to include me in what is probably up to that point one of the best days of their athletic careers.”
–10/28/16
–10/28/16
The John Cooper School
From Curiosity to Wisdom
The John Cooper School is an independent, non-sectarian, co-educational, college preparatory day school. Our mission is to provide a challenging education in a caring environment to a diverse group of select students, enabling them to become critical and creative thinkers, effective communicators, responsible citizens and leaders, and lifelong learners.
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The John Cooper School seeks to attract qualified individuals of diverse backgrounds to its faculty, staff, and student body. The School does not discriminate against any individual in admissions, educational programs, personnel policies, general practices, or employment, on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, physical disability, or age.
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