Girls Volleyball Head Coach Clyfe Beckwith brings a contagious energy that drives his team. His leadership goes beyond positivity; he actively fosters team cohesion and emphasizes a collaborative mindset. Having a team-first, individual-second mentality, Beckwith stresses the importance of caring about the team as a whole to every individual on the team.
Beckwith’s passion for volleyball ignited in high school, where he first took to the court in 1979. His early experiences with the sport laid the foundation for a lifelong dedication, shaping both his playing and coaching career.
Beckwith said, “I started playing in high school in 1979 at The American International School of Zürich in Switzerland. Our high school was affiliated with a local club named Tornado.”
He reflected on his coaching journey at Andover which began with coaching a variety of sports before ultimately becoming the Head Coach of Girls Volleyball. His experience with multiple teams allowed him to develop a versatile coaching style, fostering leadership across different sports.
“Coaching, in general, was what I expected when I first arrived at Phillips Academy back in 1992. At that time, I was assigned Boys Soccer JV2 (Assistant), Alpine Skiing (Head), and Instructional Volleyball. Moved around a bit, and when the then-coach of Varsity Volleyball left the school in 1998, the Athletic Director, Coach Mo, asked me to coach Varsity Volleyball — the beginning of my career with Girls Volleyball in the fall and Boys Volleyball in the spring.” said Beckwith.
Gracie Aziabor ’26 talked about how Beckwith doesn’t only bring energy to the team but also gives wisdom through corrections and helping people out by giving them tips. She added that Beckwith always knows what to say in any situation.
“He is definitely someone who brings a lot of energy and wisdom to the team. He’s been coaching the team for a really long time, and you can definitely tell in the corrections that he gives. He pretty much always knows what to say, which is really helpful. If you have a question, you can just ask him, and he’ll answer it for you. He is also really energetic. He’s always doing his best to hype the team up and get us excited, whether it’s for practice or games,” said Aziabor.
Kaliah Fortune ’26 talked about how Beckwith values community and chemistry within the team. She added the example of the many outside-of-practice activities that build and increase chemistry, such as Friday dinners at his house.
“Cooperation, community — Coach has us over for dinner every Friday as a team, and he cooks for us. He has two days out of the week specifically for us to work on team chemistry and cooperation so that we play better because we’re more bonded. He’s very focused on us uplifting each other, and as I said, it’s a team sport, not an individual one, so he’s big on making sure that we click together and have strong team chemistry.” said Fortune.
Fortune also mentioned that Beckwith’s experience helps him give good pointers to the hitters and blockers on the team such as explosiveness and timing. In addition, she also noted that his tips are usually very encouraging but constructive.
“I’m a setter, but I’ve heard him give very specific advice to hitters and blockers, for example, when they’re working on hitting. He talks a lot about energy, explosiveness, jumping as high as you can, and pushing yourself further than you think you can… He explains how to go up and angle your hands to make the block come down off your hands… He’s very encouraging and gives specific tips when you ask for them,” said Fortune.
Finally, Beckwith mentioned how his goals include not only competing in a competitive and fun environment but also the team coming away with good habits they can carry for the rest of their lives. He hopes the team learns how important having fun, being kind to each other, and building a life-long family is.
“My goals are to provide a safe, fun, competitive environment. Volleyball is a great team sport and acquires good life-long habits. I hope the team takes away how important having fun, being kind to each other, building a life-long family, competing at our highest level, and the value of good sportspersonship,” said Beckwith.
Editor’s Note: Gracie Aziabor is an Associate Layout Editor for The Phillipian.
