Terri Kaiser, winningest volleyball coach in county history, retires

Palm Beach County’s winningest volleyball coach of all time is officially retiring, though she’s not done with the game entirely.

Several months after surpassing 800 wins on the court during the 2025-26 season, Lake Worth Christian’s Terri Kaiser is stepping away from her position as head coach, ending one of the most decorate careers in county history.

Kaiser, who spent 48 years on the sidelines, including 37 with the Defenders, will remain with the program as its “Director of Volleyball Operations,” ensuring she’ll continue to have an influence on the next generation.

“I thought about the Pat Riley approach,” Kaiser said. “And I kind of thought, ‘Hey, he stayed on. He just turned the coaching role over to someone else.’ And the atmosphere remains. So I’m going to try it, yeah?”

Danielle McCoy, who previously played for and then coached with Kaiser, will take over the program at Lake Worth Christian. McCoy most recently coached the King’s Academy boys volleyball program, which won the Class 1A state championship in 2025.

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Kaiser’s volleyball coaching resume is unmatched in Palm Beach County.

She won 804 career games with Lake Worth Christian and 269 more at Palm Beach Atlantic, bringing her career total to over 1,000 victories. After losing in their first six appearances in the FHSAA state championship match, Kaiser and the Defenders won their last five (2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2020), establishing themselves as the county’s premier volleyball powerhouse.

But her coaching career was defined by more than wins on the court.

Kaiser battled cancer multiple times during her coaching career, continuing to lead her program while undergoing treatment and becoming a source of inspiration within the volleyball community. Alongside her daughter Joy Van Dyke, a fellow cancer survivor, Kaiser helped establish annual “pink out” and “Volley for the Cause” matches to raise awareness and financially support those with cancer.

A precursor to her retirement, Lake Worth Christian honored Kaiser’s lifelong contributions by creating the Coach Terri Kaiser Fitness Center, renovating an on-campus building to bring a place of dedicated training to student-athletes in the Defenders’ programs.

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Kaiser stated a number of reasons fed into the decision to announce her retirement, with one of the most important being the opportunity to spend more time with family.

“My grandkids are No. 1, the top thing in my life,” Kaiser said. “Two of my granddaughters are playing volleyball, and you know, I could only make it to one game last year.

She was already enjoying her new flexibility on Wednesday in Orlando as she prepared to watch her 11-year old granddaughter play on VanDyke’s Palm Beach Juniors team.

“I’ll direct the operations and make sure they’re all set up, and then I’ll jump on a jet and go see her play.”

Even in retirement, it’s clear Kaiser won’t be far from the game.

“I’ll do volleyball, I’m still going to be active,” Kaiser said. “I’ll be at school making sure things are running really smooth.”

“My hobbies will be whatever my grandkids want to do.”

Alex Peterman is a high school sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at apeterman@usatodayco.com.