photo by Theo Tate
Brittany Spotanski
Brittany Spotanski will get her first taste of coaching this fall as she takes over the Granite City girls volleyball program.
Spotanski, a 2003 GCHS graduate, was named the Warriors’ 12th head coach in program history after Ginger Harrison stepped down in May after five seasons.
Even though she’s new to coaching, Spotanski is no stranger to volleyball. She played with the Warriors’ volleyball program all four years and earned all-Southwestern Conference honors twice. She went on to turn in an outstanding career at Fontbonne University, earning all-St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors twice and helping the Griffins reach the national tournament three times.
Spotanski also was a three-time varsity letterwinner in girls basketball at GCHS.
This fall, Spotanski will take over a team that finished 9-20-1 last year and hasn’t had a winning season since 2002, which was Spotanski’s senior year.
Spotanski, whose maiden name is Kult, works as a kindergarten teacher at Holy Family Catholic School in Granite City. She had worked as a teacher for 10 years at the Hazelwood (Mo.) School District before heading to Holy Family in 2017.
What does it mean for you to become the head coach at your alma mater?
I’m really excited to be back at Granite City, where I graduated and grew up. I’m excited to have the chance to coach young girls in volleyball and kind of get back to what I experienced while I was here. My sister, Stephanie Boyer, works in the district. She knew that this was something that I always wanted to do, so she contacted me and kind of let me know. Now that I have a teaching job here in Illinois, it was convenient for me to be here, so I thought it was the right time to apply for the job.
What would you like to bring to the GCHS volleyball program?
I know volleyball is not the biggest thing in Granite sports-wise, but I feel like I want girls who want to be hard-working and show effort. I want them to enjoy the game and work hard and to build a team because volleyball is not an individual sport. It’s a team sport — to build a team that’s willing to help each other out and work together to be the best that we can.
How did you enjoy your experience playing at GCHS?
I had a lot of fun playing volleyball. I was a kid who grew up playing soccer and basketball. When I started playing volleyball, I fell in love with it. It’s something that I wasn’t the best at, but I worked really hard at it and I ended up going to play at college for it.
How does it feel to be coaching for the first time?
I think it’s exciting. It’s also a bit overwhelming. I’m going to need a little guidance in that aspect. I know a lot about volleyball, but the behind the scenes, I’m going to need some help. I’m always a hard worker. Last year, I taught kindergartners for the first time. So I’m going to come in and coach some teenagers.