Caring Brings Team Together

There’s a sense of family about Northwest Christian’s three-year run of volleyball success.

Coach Katie (Romine) Damon is a 1987 NWC graduate who took on the job three years ago when her sister Lindsay was a senior. Their mother, Bobbi teaches science at the school.

Team members are like sisters, even though Jana Huston and Bethany Goldman are the only seniors.

Setter Allyson Clouse and outside hitters Amy Descoteaux and Damiah Casimir are sophomores. Juniors include Rosie Tubbs and transfer Becky Trefts.

“We have a team chemistry you don’t see all the time,” said Damon. “It’s one of those things a coach really hopes for.”

In her first year at Northwest Christian, Damon, a counselor at Lakeland High in Rathdrum, drove her team to seventh-place in the state B tournament.

Damon said her job was simplified by a team of girls consumed with the desire to play in the state tournament.

“When you want it as bad as they wanted it, to a large degree it made things easier,” Damon said.

Last year’s team was young and didn’t survive district. It did continue a string that has seen the Crusaders lose but two Panorama League matches in three years, including this year’s undefeated season.

“Being at a Christian school, they feel they have been blessed,” said Damon. “The girls love and care for each other. If you don’t have genuine care, it’s easy in athletics for selfishness and pettiness to creep in.”

Not in this family.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: NWC in tourney The Northwest Christian volleyball team begins play in the Panorama League tournament at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in Springdale. From there, the top four teams advance to the district tournament.