Mira Costa boys volleyball head coach Avery Drost gives pointers to a player during the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs against Newport Harbor at Newport Harbor High School in Newport Beach on Saturday, May 6, 2023. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
Avery Drost knew it was time to make a difficult decision after the recently completed boys volleyball season.
Drost, who has three young kids at home and also plays on the AVP Tour, has decided to step down as Mira Costa’s boys volleyball coach.
“It was an emotional decision,” he said. “It was so hard …I love Costa, the families and the guys so much, but I definitely felt like I’ve gave all I had. I loved it with it my whole heart.”
His first year at Mira Costa was 2018. In 2019, he led the Mustangs to the CIF-Southern Section final. In 2021, the Mustangs won the CIF-SS title, their first since 2012, and the CIF SoCal Regional title. The last two seasons the Mustangs advanced to the semifinals.
“I have three small kids at home and I was gone from them so much,” he said. “To do this (coaching) well, it requires all you’ve got at all times and I felt like I was maxed out in what I could give and it was making my family have to carry a lot without me. I have to be present for my kids. I felt like I barely saw them during the spring.”
Drost, along with his wife Alyson, have three kids, ages 6 1/2, 4 1/2 and three months.
“I have to start working on some other things for the future,” he said. “I still have the opportunity to play (on the beach) all summer and I feel like I’m playing well and I think I have a lot more in the tank, but there is also some career stuff that I want to start working on.”
Next year’s Mira Costa roster has a good starting foundation led by returners Tread Rosenthal and Victor Loiola.
“There’s a lot of potential for the future,” Drost said. “Like I said earlier, the competition is insane. The Newports (Newport Harbor), Loyola and there are so many other programs on the rise. Costa will have to earn it.”
As for life on the AVP Tour, Drost and his teammate Phil Dalhausser will make a local stop July 7-9 at the Hermosa Beach tour stop.
“He’s somebody I’ve respected a lot,” Drost said of Dalhausser. “We have plans for a full summer of beach volleyball.”