While she may have left the volleyball court to be a mom to a young family, the moniker of “Coach Sam” never left Kaylee Samulowitz. After four years of being a spectator and supporting Lady Harvester sports from afar, “Coach Sam” will return to the sidelines of the volleyball court as Head Coach of Pampa Volleyball.
“Initially (when the position opened up), I was not really open to it,” Samulowitz said. “I always knew I would get back into coaching, but I never thought it would be this quickly. I thought it would be when my oldest is in junior high or something like that.
“But the position opened, and a lot of people were encouraging me. I spent a lot of time praying about it, and after a few weeks of praying and looking at what the position would look like, I felt a sense of peace, and it was my time to get back in it.”
Samulowitz is excited about taking over a program with 10 varsity returners, with five seniors bringing a lot of experience into next season with time to prepare for the fall campaign.
“Yesterday was my first day in the gym with them,” Samulowitz said. “It was really fun with a lot of energy. They are a fun group to coach, already. I’m looking forward to that. We’ve got some really strong players, so it’s about figuring out where to put them to give us the best chance to win.”
Samulowitz was a long-time assistant coach when she first came to Pampa and coached the Lady Harvesters for two seasons before stepping down in 2022. While some of her fun drills and setting the line-up won’t see much change, Samulowitz said the four years away taught her a lot about the game.
“Those years just gave me a better perspective,” Samulowitz said. “Then having four years out of coaching and watching from the outside gave me a new perspective of things I would have done differently as a coach. It shifted the way I see the game. Which is not what I expected, so I actually learned a lot more from those four years of being out.”
District 4-4A has changed since Samulowitz left the game. While she competed in district play against Canyon, Hereford, Dumas, Perryton and Borger; West Plains and Randall have now been added to the mix.
"There are two strong teams that weren’t there before,” Samulowitz said. “But, some things have changed since then. In my two years as head coach, Hereford was a state championship contender. They are not at that level anymore, and we actually beat them last year.
Kaylee Samulowitz with her husband, Austin, and their children Johnnie, Ryne and Georgie. (Photo Courtesy of Cartershots)
"There are more strong teams, so it’s going to be harder to fight for that playoff spot, but I think with what I’ve seen so far we have the ability to be in the hunt.”
Samulowitz is no stranger to not only being in the hunt, but being successful in the playoffs. In her two years coaching, her squads were Bi-District and Area Champions both years.
Along with being the head coach for the Lady Harvesters, Samulowitz will also take on the role of Girls Coordinator for Pampa Athletics. This will allow her to potentially build the program starting at the junior high level.
“The idea we are in all athletics across the entire district,” Samulowitz said. “High school athletics, junior high athletics, junior high pre-athletics, etc. Hopefully working with the elementary PE’s some and building a program that’s consistent across the board.
“Nothing is set in stone, but that’s the idea of the program. When I got out the first time, I felt like we didn’t have systems in place that were going to allow us to be at the state championship level. As a competitor that was a hard pill to swallow. When this position opened up, I felt like this was the best opportunity for me and our program to make a change. It starts when they are little in Little League, Optimist Club, elementary PE, etc.”
Samulowitz said her family was excited when she told them about the new adventure.
“I wouldn’t give up those four years (away from coaching) for anything; they were great for us and for our family,” Samulowitz said. “But the kids are super-excited. I took them to open gym, and we all went. The girls played with them, and they got to play in the locker room. I told JoJo (the oldest) she could sit on the bench and be our little water girl. She’s pumped about that.
“If you’re going to be a good coach and be invested in it, it’s got to be a family affair. So, just like we are in baseball, we’ll all be at the gym all the time and have a little coaching family.”
Samulowitz added it’s felt great to be back in the gym, and she is looking forward to the return to coaching.
“I was a little nervous, like 'What's this going to be like?'" Samulowitz said. “But it just felt right. The gym has always been home to me. So getting to be back in there and watch those girls play was just a blast. I like to have a lot of fun when I’m coaching. So we are going to have a lot of fun, but we are always going to work hard and set a standard.”