By Thomas Jones, Sports Editor 

After leading the Westlake volleyball team to a fifth state championship match this decade, the National Federation of State High School Coaches Association has named Coach Al Bennett the 2008 Volleyball Coach of the Year for the state of Texas.

“It is quite an honor for me personally and reflects the overall success of our volleyball program and the excellence demanded by our school district,” Bennett. “I look at it (the honor) as maybe the body of work the last several years.”

In this decade, Westlake has reached the state tournament six times and has won two state titles. No other Class 5A school has made that many appearances in the past eight years.

Bennett, who also guided the Chaps to a pair of Class 4A championships in the 1990s, led Westlake to the District 25-5A title and a 40-8 record despite entering this season with just three veteran varsity players. The Chaps upset top-five ranked teams San Antonio Churchill and San Antonio Reagan to reach the state tournament, where they lost to Amarillo in the title match.

“All individual awards are based on the team’s success,” Bennett. “We talk about that every year. If you don’t get to the final four, you are not going to receive those state or national accolades. Actions speak louder than polls in high school.”