New coaches at area schools

By J. Mike Blake, mblake@newsobserver.com

One of the area’s top volleyball programs hired a coach

last week.

Apex volleyball, winners of at least a share of the last four conference titles and the 2010 4A state championship, named Emily Regan its new head coach. Regan, a 2009 graduate of Elon University, has spent the last two years at Franklinton High School, where she led the Red Rams to the playoffs twice with a 32-16 record.

Regan replaces Nikki O’Connell, who stepped down after five years of coaching Apex to spend more time with her family.

O’Connell was a non-faculty coach, while Regan will teach at Apex. Regan was an English teacher at Franklinton.