Jeff Moeller, sports correspondent

Growing up in Texas, Jennifer Cribbs soon realized she was in one of the volleyball hotbeds in the country. She made her contributions to the game in the Lone Star state, playing at a junior college as well as participating on co-ed adult leagues.

When Cribbs made the move across the country to Georgia, she brought the game with her and looked for a new outlet. She ventured into coaching and joined the South Effingham staff, eventually being the head coach.

But Cribbs had a good feeling when a Mathematics teaching job opened at Richmond Hill last year, and there was an opportunity to join the girls’ volleyball staff.

So far, it looks like it’s been a perfect fit.

Cribbs played a pivotal role in the Wildcats’ 40-3 overall record, their fourth consecutive Region 1-6A Championship, and their advancement to the Elite Eight of the state playoffs.

She entered the program with head coach Danielle Ennis, and it has been a productive relationship on several fronts.

“A key part of the success of the volleyball program is the dedication and leadership of assistant coaches like coach Cribbs,” stressed Ennis. “She has extensive knowledge of the game and plays an important role in player development off the court.”

Ennis’ assessment couldn’t have been more definitive of her assistant. Cribbs was named the school’s Teacher of the Year for the past school year.

Her players who have had her in class have recognized her ability to connect on and off the court. Rising junior Raeden Sandor enjoyed her time in Cribbs’ second semester class last year, and saw her lingering effects from the season.

“I would like to believe that math is a strong subject for me, but having coach Cribbs as my teacher really helped,” said Sandor. “Some might say that knowing the teacher already gives benefits and they’ll just tell you everything, but Coach Cribbs always challenged me and taught me new things all the time.

“The benefit of knowing her for me was that I could ask questions and not feel stupid. She was very understanding and open to help me with anything I needed, whether that was math or just life in general. She is very relatable and understanding math in her class was very easy because she knew all the right techniques and shortcuts that would help us along with it.

“Because of our previous relationship, I was able to better learn and connect to the material she was teaching.”

When she met Ennis, Cribbs knew it was the start of a solid partnership.

“We met at a new teacher orientation,’ recalled Cribbs. “She was looking for an assistant, and we started talking. We could tell that it would be a good mix.

“We learned a lot from each other last year.”

Ennis agreed.

“Together, she and I make a good team,” said Ennis. “We bring multiple perspectives and coaching approaches to foster a strong and successful program.”

Cribbs sees her teaching and coaching as a perfect blend.

“Coaching and teaching are pretty parallel,” noted Cribbs. “I always listen to my students and players. I always work to keep a positive environment. Students and players will make mistakes, but we don't want them to dwell on it, but instead they have to move on.

“If there’s a good cop and bad cop, I’m a good one because I will offer advice to help students or players to get through a situation.”

In turn, Ennis implied that she can then be viewed as the “bad” cop,

“The athletes appreciate coach Cribbs’ positive attitude,” said Ennis. “She has an approachable nature and a genuine investment in their success.”

Cribbs’s son Logan will enter the high school this fall as a freshman. She took time away from coaching to help him develop his love of karate, in which he had attained a second-degree black belt.

With their workouts over, Cribbs has appreciated the time off before the team has some July. She will begin her 16th year of teaching in the fall.

“It’s good to have some time off,” said Cribbs. “As a teacher and a coach, you need to recharge and re-energize. But I’m looking forward to this season. We got a good core coming back and some younger players coming into the program.

“The girls have worked hard during the summer, and we should have another good season.”