Giovenco Steps Down as East Mountain Volleyball Coach to Focus on Athletic Director Role

After a decade of leading the East Mountain High School volleyball program, head coach and athletic director Kasi Giovenco is stepping away from the sidelines. Giovenco will hand over the reins of the Lady Timberwolves to focus exclusively on her expanding duties as the school’s athletic director.

The decision comes as East Mountain prepares for a middle school expansion, a move that significantly increases the administrative workload for the athletic department.

A Strategic Decision

For Giovenco, the move is about equity and balance. While serving as a dual-role coach and administrator is common in smaller classification schools, the demands of a growing student body made the change necessary.

“With the mid-school expansion coming, the logical thing to do so I could make sure that I’m equitably focusing on all the sports,” Giovenco said. “It’s a hard scale to balance when you’re playing both roles… giving your girls what they need as a coach, but then also giving the rest of the athletics programs what they need as the AD.”

Giovenco noted that she had been in conversation with administration for a year regarding the transition. She requested one final season to reach the 10-year mark—a milestone she described as “gratifying.”

A Legacy of Growth

When Giovenco took over the program, East Mountain struggled to fill rosters. Under her leadership, the program has stabilized and grown, now consistently drawing 40 to 60 athletes for tryouts annually.

Reflecting on her tenure, Giovenco points to the program’s culture rather than just the scoreboard as her defining achievement.

“I know I didn’t have the winningest record, but I hope the legacy is that I built a program,” she said. “We were one of the smaller schools, and to be able to sustain that, hopefully, the legacy is that I grew our program.”

A major highlight of her career came immediately following the COVID-19 shutdowns. Navigating uncertainty and restrictions, Giovenco led East Mountain to its first state tournament bid in program history.

“That was that ‘yes, this is what it’s all about’ moment,” Giovenco recalled. “The passion of the girls and just the fans, seeing them battle through.”

Passing the Torch

The program will remain in familiar hands. Claire Rose, the current junior varsity coach who has been with the program for seven years, will step up as the new varsity head coach. Ricky Garma, the C-team coach of five years, will take over the JV squad.

Giovenco expressed supreme confidence in her successors, noting that internal promotion ensures the program’s culture remains intact.

“We feel really comfortable in handing off,” Giovenco said. “They know what I expect out of the program. We all had different coaching styles, which I think is what helped us balance the program so well.”

More Than Wins and Losses

As she moves fully into administration, Giovenco hopes she is remembered as a coach who was there for her athletes “24/7, 365.” She cites the relationships with former players—many of whom now invite her to their college graduations or send photos of their own children—as the true measure of her success.

“I think the wins and the successes are the wins of seeing them go on, start families, graduate college, or go into a trade,” Giovenco said. “They have these memories and lifelong skills… they just took something from it, more than just the sport.”