New Whitehall volleyball coach Claire McGrew has no interest in denying the obvious; she's taking over a big job.
"I have big shoes to fill, that's for sure," McGrew said of following Ted Edsall, who led the Vikings program for 27 successful seasons before retiring last November. "Ted left off a really great program and was ready to hand it off to someone, and I'm grateful it was me."
McGrew, however, isn't coming in blind, either. The former Claire McWilliams - she married Vikings' softball coach Kyle McGrew in June 2024 - starred at Fruitport for four seasons, including the 2011 state championship squad, before playing at Wayne State University. There, she said she was on the first Wayne State team to advance to the conference tournament semifinals.
After being an assistant coach at Perry for one season, she's been an assistant in the Whitehall program the past few years, including as JV coach.
Whitehall athletic director Christian Subdon said from what he's seen so far, McGrew already has strong buy-in from her players, and her experience in the program is valuable.
"It was helpful that she knows the things that have been going really well and has seen the things we need to improve upon," Subdon said. "Ted gave a good blessing for her that she'd be the right person, and she did a good job in her interview. She's been executing those things all summer."
"I'm excited," McGrew said. "I know it'll be a new experience. I'm really grateful for my experiences at the JV level to make it feel like I'm prepared for this new position. I'm excited to coach at a varsity level because it's a step in the right direction."
McGrew is also a middle school teacher in the district, and next year's graduating seniors were in eighth grade when she started at Whitehall, so she's looking forward to some full circle moments this coming season with players she either had in class, as JV players, or both.
The time put into building relationships gives McGrew a good base to start with as she enters the varsity coaching world.
"It's cool because I can see different viewpoints in different situations now," McGrew said. "Through coaching, I've realized that even though my experiences are my own, and I can prepare these girls as much as I can, they have to experience it themselves."
McGrew has implemented team-building exercises this summer, with one more planned before fall practices begin, and plans to seek out the players' input on what they want out of the 2025 season. She said the team has been working under a mindset of being caring and intentional about each step of the process.
"The girls have a mindset of being caring," McGrew said. "Caring about teammates, caring about the next point, caring about putting in 100 percent effort. When you put caring into something, I think results do come out of it. I really hope for our team to be able to take a stepping stone from last season."
Success will ultimately depend on the players, of course, and McGrew wants it that way, reasoning that this is their program.
"I think they always want to have a more positive experience than the year before," McGrew said. "They'll be a huge part of wheat we want out of the season. It's their season; I'm just here to guide them through it. I'll be curious what they have to say, but I'd bet it'll be something like, 'Last year was last year, and let's make this one better.'"
The long-term goal for Whitehall is to climb back to being a county powerhouse. The short-term plan to build there is to increase turnout for the team, which McGrew is hopeful of doing.
Subdon said McGrew's playing experience and her time working for Edsall has given her great perspective on how to build a successful program.
"She comes from a program that's been dominant," Subdon said. "She was a state champion at Fruitport. She knows what it takes to be a state champ. When you're a JV coach, you're always implementing things, but you're working along with the varsity team. I'm sure she'll bring some of her own ideas."
McGrew agreed, saying she liked Edsall's practice of having the JV and varsity teams practice together, not least because it gave her the chance to share ideas with him.
"We're not two separate teams," McGrew said. "We're together, just playing at two different levels. I still talk to him. He's always willing to be there for me if I need anything. I even ran into him at a (graduation) open house recently. I'm grateful for the relationship we have. With Ted, if I reach out, I know he'd be there to help me."
