GLENVILLE – Craig Rayman has known for some time this could be his final season as head volleyball coach at Glenville-Emmons High School.

What happened this fall kind of sealed the deal.

The Wolverines, in Rayman’s 15th year as a head coach, finished with a record of 19-8, the most wins for a volleyball team in school history. And Rayman’s daughter, Alisa, a senior, finished with the most kills and service aces of any player in the area.

It means the Rayman family finishes on top.

The Tribune’s 2002 Volleyball Coach of the Year is Craig Rayman and, yes, the Player of the Year is Alisa Rayman.

They’re a sentimental pick, no doubt, but they have the credentials to back them up.

While Craig Rayman says his career win-loss record of 155-171 is “Nothing to brag about,” his 15 years of coaching are a definite achievement in this day and age. During that time he’s consistently fielded competitive teams while earning the respect of his peers and, most of the time at least, the parents of the players.

Rayman, whose oldest daughter Alyson was the Tribune’s Player of the Year in 2000, couldn’t say whether this past season was his most enjoyable, but it had to be close.

“It ranks right up there, because the kids really played well together and they got along together,” he said. “They encouraged each other all the time. To watch the kids be supportive of each other was huge. I have told the girls how proud I was of them, and I still am.”

The prospects for the 2002 Wolverines were mixed. They were hopeful, but a realignment of the Southeast Conference meant two matches against Mabel-Canton, ranked among the top five in the state, and two meetings with a strong Lyle/Austin Pacelli squad. And they didn’t know what to expect at the Waterville-Elysian-Morristown tournament, which they won.

“I was hoping for a good season, and so were the kids, but I think maybe we exceeded our girls’ expectations just a little bit,” said Rayman.

Alisa Rayman lived up to hers. The 5-foot-9 outside hitter finished with 296 kills and 63 service aces, tops in the area, and was often described by observers as being “all over the court” during matches.

“The expectations, I guess, were high for her,” said Craig Rayman.

But that was unavoidable.

“I think it’s tough whenever you have a sibling do what Aly did,” said Craig Rayman. “The comparisons make it tough. There’s a reputation to live up to. It makes it kind of tough for the second or third one in a family.”

And while the sisters’ level of play may have been similar, their father says their on-court demeanor is not.

“They have quite different personalities,” said Craig Rayman. “Alisa is a little more outspoken than Aly. There were a few times this season when we split hairs, but most of the time it went well.”

Rayman’s peers speak well of him.

“Craig is a great guy, he knows the game of volleyball,” said NRHEG head coach Jackie Schultz. “When I think back to my first couple years of coaching, I look at him and (Bethlehem Academy coach) Franz Boelter as my mentors. I was really sorry to see Glenville leave the conference because I looked up to Craig so much. He was always very approachable. You could talk to him and he’d offer advice. I really think I was lucky to have he and Franz Boelter as mentors.”

“He understands the game and really seems to work well with his girls,” said Alden-Conger coach Jon Jahnke. “Sometimes, in warm-ups, you see the coaches over here and the players over there, but he was really involved, conscious of everything going on. It was the same way during games. You got a real sense it was almost like he was on the court with his girls – he was really into it.”

Jahnke was also impressed by Alisa Rayman.

“She was one player we had trouble with,” said Jahnke. “We just couldn’t get the block up. She’s a good attacker, does a good job powering down the ball. She’s one girl you’re aware of when she’s up there. I think the girls look up to her, look at her as the one to get the job done. That’s a lot of responsibility for a girl, but one she obviously didn’t shy away from.”

While Craig Rayman is stepping down as the varsity head coach, he’s not leaving the sport completely and plans to coach a younger age group.

Despite some challenging moments coaching Alyson and Alisa, Craig Rayman said it was a rare and special opportunity to coach both daughters and see them excel.

“It’s an opportunity that doesn’t present itself too many times, and you want to take advantage of it,” he explained. “You expect more from your own kids and you’re probably a little harder on them. Sometimes it can be tough at home as well as on the court, but in the end I don’t think it’s something a coach or a player regrets. You look back and say, ‘Boy, that was really a great experience.'”