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Published: Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013 / Updated: Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013 08:00 PM

Farley expected to take Fort Mill volleyball to the next level

FORT MILL -- 

Gina Farley, a former Division I volleyball player, has been hired to lead the Fort Mill High volleyball team to the next level.

Farley, a marketing and technology teacher at the school, was picked over 10 other applicants for the job, said Athletic Director Dwayne Hartsoe.

“We are excited about her,” Hartsoe said. “She knows the kids and knows what to expect. We are excited about her being on campus.”

Hartsoe said Farley’s Division I playing experience helped her stand out. Farley, 40, played college volleyball at Xavier University in Cincinnati.

Farley taught for four years at Nation Ford and is in her first year at Fort Mill. She not only excelled at volleyball in high school and college, but also played basketball while in high school. Her basketball experience helped her serve as an assistant girls’ basketball coach while at Nation Ford.

She said she has been playing volleyball since she was a child and has nearly 10 years experience coaching volleyball at the club level.

“Between having played, officiated and coaching, I bring that experience with me,” Farley said.

Farley replaces Melanie Jaehnen, who resigned after the season ended and five years at the helm. Farley plans to try and get Fort Mill deeper into the playoffs after the team stalled in the second round several times in recent years.

“I am hoping to bring intensity and consistency to the program,” she said. “I want to see us play an aggressive game, but also a game of finesse and be able to make adjustments.”

Farley will have seven players returning from the varsity roster and will get started with them in May during spring practice.

She said she is excited about getting on the court with them.

“Volleyball is so ingrained in me, it’s like second nature,” she said.

Farley has lived in Fort Mill since 1996 with her husband and three children.