Done after a decade

Carrie Jo Donnan is trading one tough job for another.

Donnan, who has been the head volleyball coach at A-C Central for the past 10 years, submitted her written resignation on Tuesday. She wants to spend more time with her 2-year-old son, Trace.

“There’s too many fun things that I would miss in his life and I’m just going to be a full-time mom now,” Donnan said. “I’ve let coaching consume a lot of my time, and I don’t want to do it and not give it my all.”

Donnan posted a career mark of 231-96 over her 10 seasons, and won five regional championships, including four in a row from 2001-04. None of her teams ever finished with a losing record.

The decision to resign wasn’t easy.

“I talked to the team Monday night and I turned in my letter Tuesday morning,” the coach said. “I had been thinking about it for a while.”

Donnan said she will continue to work with the team through the summer. But telling the team of her decision, Donnan said, was the most difficult part.

“It was a tough decision, but I’ve made it and I’m happy with it,” Donnan said. “I’ve told the team, and that was the part that I wasn’t looking forward to, but it went smoothly.”

Donnan attended and played volleyball at A-C Central, graduating in 1993. She went on to play volleyball at the College of St. Francis in Joliet for one year before transferring to Illinois College, where she played volleyball for three more years. She graduated from Illinois College in 1997 and became the head volleyball coach at A-C Central the next year.

Donnan was the coach at A-C Central when the school began its co-operative agreement with Virginia.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed coaching girls from Ashland, Chandlerville and Virginia, and I’m very thankful for the opportunity,” Donnan said. “I will miss working with the girls, but I’ve missed being a mom more than that. (The decision) was difficult, but I know I made it for the right reasons.”

A-C Central has been one of the top teams in the area since Donnan became the head coach, winning six conference titles (two in the New Salem Conference, four in the Western Illinois Valley Conference).

One of A-C Central’s top rivals during Donnan’s tenure has been Routt Catholic High School.

“When I heard the news and then talked to her shortly afterwards, I completely understood her decision,” Routt coach Pat Gibson said. “It was something that she had mentioned to me last spring that she had been considering, and as much of a loss as it’s going to be for A-C Central, it’s what she feels is most important and I understand where she’s coming from.”

Gibson said he doesn’t expect a drop-off in the strength of A-C Central’s volleyball program.

“Any coach that makes the mistake of thinking that A-C Central’s volleyball is going to drop because she is leaving is foolish,” Gibson said. “She’ll still be their biggest fan. She’ll still be around.”

Although the school board has taken no action yet, Donnan said she hopes that her assistant coach, Kristy VanMeter, is named her successor. VanMeter has served as Donnan’s assistant for the past two seasons.

“She’s at a point in her life where she’s ready to be a head coach,” Donnan said.

Donnan will continue to keep up with A-C Central volleyball. She has served as the team’s statistician and record-keeper during her time as head coach, and said she is still going to help keep the team records.

“(Resigning) wasn’t something I decided overnight,” she said. “But I’m very confident that the program will continue in a positive way and the girls will carry on the tradition that goes along with it.”