SBCC’s Parker leaving volleyball helm

Melody Parker, a coaching trail blazer, has resigned as head coach of the SBCC men’s volleyball team after 13 seasons. She guided the Vaqueros to 10 playoff appearances and five trips to the state Final Four.

Parker was the first female coach of a CIF boys team at San Juan Capistrano High in 1977 and became the first female coach of a Community College men’s volleyball squad at SBCC in 1996.

Melody Parker, right, with daughter Raechel Parker Olson

“The gym has always felt like home to me,” said Parker, who’s moving to Walnut Creek and will soon become a grandmother. “The thing I’ll miss the most is the bond that develops on a team between the players and coaches during the journey. The good news is that bond lasts a lifetime.”

Her daughter, Raechel Parker Olson, is expecting a baby girl in two weeks. Olson is a former setter at Santa Barbara High and St. Mary’s College.

Parker coached the Vaqueros from 1996-2005 and then returned after a two-year sabbatical to coach the last three years. This year’s squad went 8-9 and finished fifth in the Western State Conference with a 3-7 record.

She was named Coach of the Year in 1997, ’98 and 2008. Her 1998 squad, led by Ben Koski, advanced to the state championship before falling to Golden West.

“We were seeded fourth in the Final Four and we faced No. 1 Orange Coast in the semifinals,” recalled Parker. “They had swept us earlier in the year. We played a four-hour, 45-minute marathon (before rally scoring) and I’ll never forget when Ben Koski pounded a perfect set from Rigel Painter and we won the match, stunning OCC and their fans.”

Parker, who played for the Santa Barbara Spikers in the indoor International Volleyball Association in 1979, attributed her 1998 team’s success to legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. “His book inspired me and I wrote him a thank-you letter,” she said. “He immediately wrote me back and a few days before Christmas, I had the pleasure of having dinner with John Wooden. That was a career highlight.”

Parker said she’s grateful for the exceptional athletes she’s coached and those who helped out with her program — UCSB assistant coach Lee Nelson, Olympic gold medalist Todd Rogers, Tiffer Guigliano, Donal McGraw and Marcelo Duarte.

“I’m very sad to lose such an outstanding coach,” said Ellen O’Connor, SBCC’s interim athletic director. “Melody has had a number of student-athletes who moved on to play at the Division 1 level, including Ben Koski, who was invited to play for the USA National Team and Tyson Rietz, who was the Male Student-Athlete of the Year at SBCC in 2009. She’s a coach who cares passionately about the sport and her players’ success, never sacrificing the personal growth of her players for wins on the court.

“We will miss Coach Parker and wish her well.”