After playing volleyball in highschool in Zürich, Switzerland, Girls Volleyball Head Coach Clyfe Beckwith did not intend on playing volleyball into adulthood. Originally planning to join the alpine ski team at Dartmouth, Beckwith prioritized schoolwork — double majoring in physics and math, which conflicted with the team practices. This resulted in his switch to the Dartmouth Men’s Club Volleyball team, which cooperated with his busy schedule. After arriving at Andover, Beckwith coached wherever he was needed, until he was asked by Athletic Director Leon “Coach Mo” Modeste to step in as the head coach for Girls Volleyball.
According to Saraya Angbazo ’25, Beckwith places a strong emphasis on team bonding and dynamic. He routinely fosters an environment that helps teammates build connections with one another, trying new strategies each week.
Angbazo said, “He definitely likes to work with chemistry. He uses that word a lot. He likes to see the different relationships that we cultivate on the court and ensures that everyone is included in those relationships. That’s definitely something that is crucial to our team and crucial to how we communicate, how we spend time with each other, and the culture of our team. By switching up lineups and subbing in new players during practices or just trying new things, he does a lot of experimentation with us. ”
Beckwith emphasized his goals for the team in terms of their cohesiveness. He hopes to curate practices that not only focus on the team as a whole, but builds the strength of individual players, as well.
“Coaching volleyball is as much about developing chemistry on the court of six as it is developing individual skills for one. No matter how good any one individual is, you still need five-plus teammates to achieve success. Volleyball used to be about being able to do multiple aspects (defense, offense, serve) well and one aspect very well (setter, hitter, blocker, defense) — just like so many other sports, it has morphed into a sport of specialization where one focuses on one skill. Getting these different skills to all play in harmony — that’s the challenge,” said Beckwith.
According to Sophie Holten-Moravek ’25, Beckwith also offers players a chance to set their own goals for the season. At the start of the season, he reaches out to players, and asks how they want to balance competition and fun.
“Something that he does every year is, near the beginning of the season, he brings the entire team together and he says, ‘Look, guys, this season, do we want to win or do we want to have fun?’ Of course, we can have fun while we’re winning, but he immediately asks us for what we want. And then he tweaks and alters his coaching to fit our values and to push the team in every way that he can,” said Holten-Moravek.
Beckwith combines fun with skill-building in the drills he designs for the team. Kate Rodgers ’26 noted the novelty of the practices and drills he curates.
“We always do fun drills. I think a lot of the drills — they’re super unique and it’s kind of like I haven’t really done these before. But it’s not always based on just skills after skills. They’re very fun drills and so we’re able to have fun while we’re playing the sport, which is really important,” said Rodgers.
Beckwith instills a set of values onto the team, setting a precedent for Girls Volleyball on and off the court. He hopes to impart the team values in a way that drives team members to represent Andover well.
“The PAVB [Phillips Academy Volleyball] priorities are: health, family, academics, the team, the individual. Practices focus on team drills — timing, chemistry — [and] improving individual skills by focusing on team cohesion. I aspire to be a good ambassador of PA,” Beckwith said.
Angbazo highlighted a favorite team tradition: weekly team dinners. Beckwith’s dedication to the team is evident in the effort he puts into making these dinners a space for the team to develop a stronger bond off of the court.
“Almost every Friday, we do a team dinner at [Beckwith’s] house and he spends time, the days ahead, preparing,” said Angbazo. “He always creates these elaborate pasta dinners and the pasta is so good, the garlic bread is so good, and just being able to spend time together in that sort of intimate space like in his living room, talking in a circle and playing different games while sharing a meal together that was home cooked by him, is something that’s really special and has always been something that I’ve looked forward to during the week.”
With a current record of 9-3, Beckwith ultimately hopes to build a supporting and encouraging community within Girls Volleyball. He emphasizes the importance of enjoying the sport, while also qualifying for post-season tournaments.
Beckwith said, “I hope to provide an atmosphere of fun, of fair play at a level where we can compete with the best teams in the league… Most often it is that we go as far as possible in the tournament. I am proud of the fact that we have made it into the tournament every season that I have been part of the PAVB family.”
