Al Bennett
Q: How many years have you been coaching at Westlake?
A: I started in ’88, so this is my 20th year.
Q: What sports have you coached besides volleyball?
A: Basketball, track, and soccer at St. Austin’s in 1975.
Q: How many state championships have you won with Westlake?
A: Four. 1991, 1993, 2002, and 2004.
Q: What coaching awards have you won?
A: I don’t really keep track of all of them, but last year I
won the Girl’s Coach of the Year award. It’s a state wide
award so it meant a lot to me.
Q: Do you feel more confident about going to state this year than you did last year?
A: This year we could go to state just like we could last year. We
are already ranked first in the region, so we just have to focus on
beating Bowie and Austin High.
Q: How do you maintain a highly competitive team year after year?
A: Having Coach Bryant as a stable assistant coach has helped, but
winning is also the tradition here. It is expected. Our girls are
smart; they make sacrifices to be the best.
Q: How did you gain all of your volleyball knowledge?
A: Glen Lietzke, whom I started Austin Juniors with. He had the
coaches and the facility and I provided the players. Mick Haley, former
Olympic coach and current USC coach also taught me about volleyball.
Q: What do you think your players think about you?
A: It varies from person to person. Hopefully players respect my
knowledge of the game. I don’t expect to be best friends with
everybody. I just try to be fair and expect 100 percent from them.
