Katie Pry didn’t come to Pittsburgh with the intention of coaching high school boys volleyball. But she’s found a nice opportunity with an up-and-coming program and is making the most of the chance.
Pry, an Ohio native, moved to Pittsburgh last year and was in search of a girls coaching job. When nothing developed on that front, she became the junior varsity coach under Jimi Yu, who led the North Hills boys varsity team.
But Yu, after one year with the program, left to pursue career opportunities in California, and Pry was elevated to the varsity level.
“Jimi knew he didn’t want to stay in Pittsburgh, so he asked if taking over as the varsity coach was something that I’d be interested in and it most definitely was,” said Pry. “It was kind of a seamless transition at that point. We talked to (North Hills athletic director Pat Weber), and he made the transition pretty simple.”
Weber had rightful cause to believe that Pry was capable, particularly after the Grove City College grad was part of a breakthrough season for the program in 2025.
The Indians ended a 25-year playoff drought, reaching the postseason before falling to Latrobe in the opening round.
“It was exciting for the boys,” Pry said of the 2025 team that would routinely spend extra time after practices working on their game. “You could just see how badly that senior class and that team last year wanted it. There were eight seniors last year, so it was kind of their last shot to make some sort of statement at North Hills.
“That was a big, driving factor. Our work ethic last year set the tone going into this season.”
The Indians, as of April 6, were off to a 2-3 start to the 2026 season but had taken a set in each of their three losses.
“I think we may be a little underestimated by some of the bigger schools that play us because, historically, I don’t think North Hills has been able to compete with the Seneca Valleys and Pine-Richlands,” said Pry. “But we’ve taken both teams to four (sets) and tried to give them both a run for their money.”
Leading the way has been junior outside hitter Max Jarrock, one of two returning starter from a year ago.
“He continues to be a role model and just all-around one of our best players on and off the court,” Pry said. “He has a pretty calming presence on the court. He’s very level-headed, and you can’t really see his emotions go up and down.
“A lot of the boys turn to him when things maybe aren’t going well. He not only can calm the team, but also can set the tone offensively because he’s a huge threat for other teams.”
Senior Brody Carr, a middle blocker, is North Hills’ other returning start from 2025.
Pry has done her best in her early days as head coach to welcome as many athletes to the program as possible.
“With volleyball, you compete against other sports like baseball and track,” she said of the task of trying to find players. “But after some of the baseball kids got cut, we were like, ‘Please come out. Please come try out if you want to play a sport this spring.’”
The results have shown up throughout the entirety of the program. The North Hills middle school team, for instance, doubled in size following baseball cuts.
Pry also hopes to add some stability to a program that has gone through some recent coaching turnover, but that has shown that it can contend at the highest level.
“We’re trying our best to be competitive and trying our best to make a statement,” she said. “We’d like to get some more noise and get noticed.”