SPRINGVILLE
When he took over the Springville volleyball program back in 2013, the Orioles, a solid team within the Tri-Rivers Conference, were coming off an 8-27 campaign.
Ten years later, Claude Howard has built a juggernaut in Springville, one that has not only claimed six league championships, but has made an amazing eight state tournament berths, including trips the last four years in a row.
Now, after a career that has spanned 10 seasons with the Orioles tallying a mind-boggling 294-95 overall record, Howard shocked many within the community deciding the time was right to step away.
“I have resigned from coaching at Springville,” said Howard in a statement. “I have not accepted another position and will weigh my options.”
As one of the winningest coaches in the state of Iowa regardless of class over the last decade, Howard will certainly have plenty of suitors for his services, if he does intend to coach again, but the news hit one of the returners hard.
“I was so upset when he broke the news to us,” said current Oriole junior Hannah March, one of several underclassmen who will be returning to the team next fall.
“Everything I’ve accomplished as an individual and done correctly in the game of volleyball is because of coach Howard. He’s been a very important person. When I have questions, he’s always been there with the answers. I’m not sure how to exactly put it into words, but a part of my heart is going to be missing next year.”
Howard’s teams won Tri-Rivers Conference championships in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021 and 2022 while also leading Springville to the class 1A state tournament in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
The most surprising run to state may have been in 2019, when a freshman and sophomore laden team that included current seniors Nia Howard and Lily Clark as key contributors, stunned highly-ranked Lisbon in a regional final played at Iowa City Regina.
Howard’s top team, record-wise, was the 2017 senior-laden group that went 39-3 and advanced to the state semifinal round before dropping a heartbreaking five-set thriller (19-25, 27-25, 20-25, 25-17, 14-16) against LeMars Gehlen Catholic. Mikayla Nachazel, Samantha Johnson, Rylee Menster, Alyssa Jaeger and Madi Wagaman produced one of the greatest runs in school history finishing the four-year stretch with 129 wins and just 32 losses.
Howard’s 2021 team reached the class 1A state championship match for the first time in program history dropping a hard-fought four-setter (25-21, 16-25, 21-25, 20-25) against Burlington-Notre Dame.
This past fall saw another one of Howard’s most amazing teams roll to a 38-4 overall record producing All-State talent in his own daughter Nia (a three-time All-State selection) as well as Kennady Breitfelder and Lily Clark.
This year’s senior group leaves as the only class to have advanced to the state tournament all four years and during the last three have a combined 100-14 overall record.
“I wasn’t too surprised by the news,” said Breitfelder, a senior who led the team in kills this past season. “I always thought he might want to end his career here with the group of seniors he’s coached since the third grade. Coach Howard has left a great legacy at Springville and needs to do what is best for him and his family. I know he’s been contacted by other schools many times over the years, and it’s his right to take a look at whatever opportunities present themselves.”
For Springville athletic director Joe Martin, the difficult process of finding a replacement begins.
“That’s certainly going to be the challenge, but I think it’s helped along by the work Coach Howard has done over the last decade making Springville volleyball one of the top programs in the state,” Martin said. “We should be able to get a lot of top candidates for the job, and that’s thanks to everything he’s done here. He’s created a culture of winning and I appreciate everything he’s done for the school and the community.
“I think right now is probably a good time for him to make this kind of decision with his daughter graduating, so I get it, but he’ll certainly be missed. It was a great run.”
