Girls’ Varsity Volleyball Head Coach David Loeb smiles for the camera.
By Grace Walters ’24
With 37 years of coaching at Choate under his belt, Girls’ Varsity Volleyball Head Coach David Loeb has been a significant part of the team’s history.
Coach Loeb began with Girls’ Thirds Volleyball in 1986. “I loved being the Thirds coach — I didn’t imagine I would be anything but the Thirds coach, and that was fine. I’m still in touch with players who were on that team my first year,” he said.
Five years later, Coach Loeb switched to coaching Girls’ JV Volleyball. Then, in the fall of 2008, Coach Loeb became Head Coach of Girls’ Varsity Volleyball.
Coach Loeb observed that in the past decade, it has become increasingly important to have athletes who are primarily focused on volleyball in order to win against other teams.
However, some things have remain unchanged on the varsity team since Coach Loeb joined. For example, the team still does a secret cheer before matches, a tradition started by his predecessor, Coach Gary Dormandy.
Coach Loeb admits to knowing little about the team’s other clandestine pre-game rituals. “Before every match, the girls disappear while the other team has the court. I’ve been coaching for a long time, and I still don’t know where they go or what they do.”
One notable victory happened against Andover in 2012. The year before, Choate was undefeated until the team lost to Andover in the championship finals. The next year, the tables turned — Andover was undefeated until Choate beat them in the semifinals and continued on to win the championship. “That was as satisfying a victory as I could imagine,” Coach Loeb said.
In 2014, he earned his 400th win across his time coaching Girls’ Thirds, JV, and Varsity Volleyball.
Coach Loeb inspires the team in challenging moments. “He knows how to move the team from difficult times, and he has such emotional intelligence that not many coaches have,” Fernanda Opazo Aravena ’25 said.
Piper Cameron ’25 felt similarly: “He’ll motivate us and tell us things straight in practice, but when it comes to games, he’s gonna be there to uplift us and bring us up. He’s very good with his words and motivating the team when we’re in a rut.”
Even off the courts, Coach Loeb is always ready to extend his kindness and support to his team. “It’s always nice to see him on campus outside of volleyball because he’s always there to say hi to us and always wanting to talk to us and ask us about our lives,” Ava Sklar ’24 said.
Coach Loeb’s impact is long-lasting. “The kids I’ve coached in volleyball over the years are people whose weddings I’ve gone to, whose babies I’ve held. These are kids that I’m still in touch with from 10, 20, 30, 35 years [ago],” he said. “I’ve spent a lot of time doing this, and it’s fun to look backwards and see all the different journeys.”
