Guilford's longest-serving coach of a women’s team at Guilford is leaving in June to teach at the school where her two daughters are students.
“Probably one of the hardest decisions I've ever chosen to make. It’s a great opportunity but in the same breath, I’m leaving a place and people that are very dear to me.”
Emily Gann was busy doing the job she loved – coaching Guilford’s women’s volleyball team – when she got offered the job she couldn’t refuse.
The new gig isn’t glamorous. Emily will teach physical education at a nearby charter school while building Greensboro Revolution’s volleyball program from the ground up. But she couldn’t say no to the fringe benefits: More time watching her daughters, Madison and Peyton, grow up.
So after 18 years as the Quakers’ head coach, and also serving as Assistant Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator, Emily is walking away from a program and players she loves.
“It's very bittersweet,” she says. “Probably one of the hardest decisions I've ever chosen to make. It’s a great opportunity but in the same breath, I’m leaving a place and people that are very dear to me.”
Athletic Director Bill Foti says replacing Emily won’t be easy. “Emily’s fingerprints are all over this department,” he says. “When I first got here (in 2021) I told my staff our job is to leave this department better than when we first got here and Emily’s done just that.”
Emily is excited about returning to her first love of teaching. She was a rookie middle school teacher in Asheboro, N.C., when she took the job as Guilford’s volleyball coach in 2006.
She’s even more excited about spending more time watching her daughters compete in their volleyball matches and swim meets. “I can’t tell you how many times I watched them compete on FaceTime when I was at practice or on the road,” she says.
“When the opportunity (at Revolution) presented itself, it gave me something to really think about,” she says. “It’s a very emotional departure because I do love Guilford. This is a place where one of the next chapters in my life started.”
When Emily took over as the Quakers’ volleyball coach, she was one year removed from Elon University, where she was an All-Southern Conference volleyball player and graduated with a degree in Special Education.
At the time, Emily wondered if she could coach college students, some just a year younger than she was. “That never was a problem,” she says. “I still keep up with so many players and the lives they’re living. We’re like family.”
In 2019, Emily led Guilford to its best season since 1993 with an overall record of 19-8 and an Old Dominion Athletic Conference record of 9-3. The Quakers advanced to the ODAC semifinals losing to Virginia Wesleyan University. This season the Quakers finished 18-9 before losing to Virginia Wesleyan in the ODAC quarterfinals.
Bill says he’s in the early stages of a search for the successor to Emily, who is currently the longest-serving coach of a women’s team at Guilford.
“Whomever comes in is going to have a great group of players to work with,” says Emily. “The team is built for success. They’ve worked hard and I know they’re going to be great.”