New Prague’s Sayuk honored by his peers

New Prague High School volleyball coach Greg Sayuk has been named the Class AAAA Coach of the Year by his peers in the Minnesota High School Volleyball Coaches Association (MNVBCA).

Sayuk’s team finished the season in the Class AAAA championship match against undefeated Wayzata, a team loaded with college-bound talent. Though the Trojans fell in three tough games to Wayzata, they finished the season with a best-ever record of 27- 6. They finished undefeated in conference play and swept their four matches against section competition.

The coach of the year honor is determined by the Minnesota High School Volleyball Coaches Association’s Board of Control, a group of eight coaches representing the eight sections of the four classes of Minnesota High School volleyball. To be a nominee for the state coach of the year, an honoree has to be either a section coach of the year or finish first or second at the state tournament, said Marty Kiebel, the volleyball coach at Maple Lake.

“Scott Jackson from Wayzata would have been very deserving as well, but Greg certainly was as well. His team (NPHS) came out of a grueling Section 1 tournament and played great volleyball at the state tournament, pushing an undefeated Wayzata team loaded with Division 1 players in the state championship match,” Kiebel said. “It was all the more impressive considering New Prague had just been bumped up from (Class) AAA to AAAA this year.”

Sayuk has been active in the MNVBCA for over 15 years. He has been active on the association’s board of control as a section representative, and now as the association’s webmaster and its all-state coordinator, said Becca Pulju, the volleyball coach at Sebeka High School. He also speaks at the association’s annual coaches’ clinic which allows other coaches to gain insight into his coaching mechanisms and style, said Jim Lee, the volleyball coach at AdaBorup West High School.

“Greg is an integral part of our coaches association,” Pulju said. “This is a wellearned honor based on his commitment and dedication to his program. In just two years, Greg had his new team in the state championship. This is something that many coaches spend years building. He is consistently excellent at any job I have seen him do. He is an excellent leader among his peers as well as a coach. He is extremely...

To see more on this story pick up the January 18, 2024 print edition of The New Prague Times.