When Meridian High School’s longtime volleyball coach Shannon Claeys stepped down at the end of last season, her varsity assistant Angie Short was a shoo-in for the job.
Claeys, now the assistant, has been there alongside Short as the young Trojans (7-1, 5-1 Northwest Conference) haven’t missed a beat under their changed leadership.
Short, who said stepping into the head role was a “no-brainer,” added it feels similar to the past four years, just with reversed roles — a cooperative coaching partnership that helped revive Meridian’s volleyball program to statewide relevance in recent years.
“It’s been really good having Shannon here. She’s just got a lot of knowledge, and she’s been doing it for so long that it’s made the transition, I think, a lot smoother,” she said. “[Claeys is] very present, and really it is a real cooperative coaching experience.”
Short spent the previous four seasons as the varsity assistant and head junior varsity coach for the Trojans, helping Meridian end its decade-long state tournament drought under Claeys in 2019 before finishing third in the state in Class 1A in 2021.
Claeys wanted more time to watch her daughters play collegiate volleyball (Hayden at Skagit Valley College, and Finnley at Western Washington University) after standout careers at Meridian.
A third daughter, Emry, also is a Trojan and is the team’s lone senior after the program graduated five at the end of last year.
“It’s been really cool to see [Emry] because it’s not necessarily her personality to be, you know, that voice, but she’s realized that’s kind of what we need from her on this team this year if we want to make a run, and we do,” Short said.
But Emry is more than the team’s emotional, vocal and seasoned leader — the four-year starter may be the most talented outside hitter in Whatcom County.
Before Meridian’s Sept. 25 versus Burlington-Edison match — arguably the top team in the NWC at 8-0 — Emry boasted a county-leading 5.12 kills per set on the season, according to Whatcom Preps. Claeys notched 10 kills in the 3-0 loss to the Tigers. Last season, Emry set a school record with 34 kills in a game against Lynden.
The rest of Meridian’s roster has risen around her, as well.
Junior libero Rylan Bernardy, who swung up to varsity as a freshman and is one of just two juniors on the current team, has shared leadership with Emry and is fourth in the county with 4.23 digs per set, according to Whatcom Preps. Sophomore setter Grace Wells has accumulated a gaudy, county-leading 9.65 assists per set so far this season, and freshman outside hitter Eden Bernardy is first in the county in aces per set (1.60) and fifth in kills (2.96).
“What we’ve been seeing early on in the season here is just that chemistry and how much they’re working together,” Short said. “You can really feel that energy and just the passion that they have to want to win and compete. It’s been really fun to see.”
Short admitted she didn’t expect such a fast start from such a young group, but the offseason habits of her players have made it less surprising.
“When we started getting those first couple wins, it was like, ‘OK, I think we’ve really got something here,’” Short added. “We just need to keep honing in on those fundamental skills, and we’ll see what these girls can do.”
Meridian won 2A state championships in 1998 and 2004. The win in ’98 was the program’s first, and Claeys was a member of that team as a player before having a successful volleyball career at Western.
Following the 2004 championship, the Trojans then made the state tournament just once, in 2009, until Claeys led them to back-to-back berths in 2019–20 and 2021–22 (no tournament in 2020–21 due to COVID-19). Meridian’s third-place finish in the latter appearance was its best since winning the title 17 years earlier.
Short said there’s some pressure to keep the program’s recent success alive, but she believes most of it is self-induced.
“There’s definitely a little bit of pressure, but I just embrace it. I love it,” Short said. “That’s why I coach.”
