‘The program is in a great place’: NMB state title-winning volleyball coach steps down
Four seasons and two Class 4A state championships later, Alex Sing made good on his word and has stepped down as the North Myrtle Beach High School volleyball coach.
Sing took over the program in 2016, telling Athletic Director Joe Quigley that he would stay at least four years to make a run with a young, talented group of players. He did just that, compiling 105 wins and deep playoff runs each season, finishing with back-to-back championships to walk out on top.
“We were committed to winning state from the first day,” Sing said of his time at North Myrtle Beach. “It’s easy to coach kids who love to be in the gym and put the work in (to be great). I saw so many kids who love the game, those are the ones you love to coach.”
Taking over a program that came off a playoff berth, Sing guided North Myrtle Beach to a deeper run each year before reaching the pinnacle in both 2018 and 2019.
“We probably would have won a third (championship), but Myrtle Beach was in our way my second year (2017),” Sing said of the 2017 Class 4A state champion Seahawks. “It definitely makes your team work harder and push themselves when you’ve got your rival knocking you out on their way to winning a ring.”
After finishing off the 2019 season in style, Sing had a choice to make regarding his future: restart with a new group or take a breather on the high school coaching front.
“We graduated eight seniors, so it really would have been restarting with a new group and another long-term commitment,” he said. “There’s a lot of talent there and the program is in a great place, but I’ve been coaching club and high school for so long without a break. I want to spend some time with my family – I’ve got a new grandkid that I want to spend time with – and watch some volleyball around the area. I’ll still be coaching club, so I’ll have that to keep me busy and, who knows, I might be back coaching high school if the right opportunity presents itself.”
Taking over the program at North Myrtle Beach is first-time high school head coach Megan Griffin. A volleyball lifer, Griffin played at Middle Tennessee State University as a setter and has coached as an assistant in the college ranks and as a volunteer in Kentucky at Middlesboro High School.
Now, taking over a powerhouse program in Class 4A, Griffin can’t wait to get started.
“I’m expecting us to continue to contend for region, district, and state championships,” she said. “We’re hoping and waiting to hear when we can begin working out and conditioning from the (school) district, but I’ve started to reach out to the players and get to know them a little bit so that we can really hit it hard once we’re cleared to play.”
Griffin has been in contact with Sing and hopes to build on the foundation he helped establish.
“Coach Sing has been amazing to bounce ideas off of and has already committed to helping us run our volleyball tournament in the fall,” she said. “He’s built this program to be one of the best in the state. I just want to keep it that way.”
