New coach leads Eagle Valley girls volleyball team into 2026 season

The Eagle Valley girls volleyball team enters the 2026 season with a new coach — but a similar mission: help student-athletes reach their full potential.

Vail Peak Volleyball Club co-founder and director Brandon Boseman said his main coaching goal in year one is “to enable our athletes to be their best version of themselves, on and off the court.”

“(And) to build a foundation of passion, positivity and competitiveness with our graduating class of 2027, paving the way for many future generations of program excellence for Devils volleyball,” he added.

Boseman replaces Mike Garvey, who spent six years at the helm before moving into the athletic director role this fall. Garvey told the Vail Daily earlier this month that while he knows he has to step back a little as the former coach, he wants to be available to Boseman.

“(Brandon) knows I’m there to support him with what he needs and he knows I’m here to reach out,” Garvey said.

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Back in the day, Boseman played middle blocker “with a little bit of opposite hitter mixed in,” he said. He initially got into coaching as his daughter, who is now a sophomore, became interested in the sport. He holds Art of Coaching (AOC) level I and II Women’s Volleyball Head Coach, AOC Men’s Volleyball Head Coach, USA Volleyball’s Increased Mastery and Professional Application of Coaching Theory (IMPACT) and SafeSport certifications. At Eagle Valley, he said he’s hoping to instill core values “built around playing with belief and pride in ourselves as individuals, our teammates, our school and our community.”

Eric Perejda, Taylor Hooper and Jonny Barrios will assist Boseman on the coaching staff this fall as the Devils search for their first winning season since 2023.

That squad went 20-7 and qualified for the state tournament — Eagle Valley’s first appearance since 2016. The Devils were 11-14 in 2024 and 9-14 in the regular season last fall; they went 7-5 in Western Slope play, good for third in the league. Glenwood Springs, which posted a 21-4 overall mark and finished 12-1 in league play, graduated five of its top six hitters. Battle Mountain (24-5, 11-1 league) said goodbye to Cynthia Orona and Abby Rowe but retained a talented young core and figures to be strong again.

Meanwhile, the Devils will have to make do without Cadence Aguilar, the team’s biggest offensive loss to graduation. Still, eight of the team’s 11 varsity spots will be occupied by seniors this year, including top outside hitter Riley Weatherred as well as middle blocker Corah Pronga. Weatherred averaged a team-high 5.6 kills per set last year, while the 6-foot-tall Pronga was third on the team with 43 kills.

“Our biggest storyline is how many seniors we have and how we want to send them off on a strong note,” Boseman said. “It’s also the first year of a new program, so there will be lots of changes to follow on the court as we install new offensive and defensive systems.”

Boseman described the offseason as “solid” and said athletes were eager to learn new systems and strategies.

“And quite a few of them spent a lot of time in the weight room,” he added. “Strength, conditioning and nutrition are a big program focus. We believe that in order to be elite on the court, you have to be elite off the court.”

The Devils open the season at home against Conifer on Thursday before the defending champion Demons come to town a week later. In addition to the Devils’ visit to Edwards on Sept. 17 and a rivalry rematch in Gypsum on Oct. 27, Boseman is eager to see how his team stacks up in a pair of midseason Front Range tournaments: in Roosevelt on Oct. 3 and at Douglas County on Oct. 10.