(Middlefield, OH) - On February 14th at the regular board of education meeting, a familiar face from the area was approved to make his return as a Huskie. Former Jordak Elementary principal, Michael Chaffee was approved to take command over the Cardinal Huskies volleyball program.
“I am very excited to return to Cardinal as the varsity volleyball coach,” said Chaffee on March 13th. “I thoroughly enjoyed my three years as the principal at Jordak Elementary and working with Cardinal students, staff, and parents.”
Coach Chaffee steps into the program with a career record of 548 - 243. His most recent stint was the JV coach for the Bombers of Windham High School, last year. He returned to the court after retiring from the administration side of the educational field. Chaffee served as principal from 2020 - 2023.
His athletic journey was like none other. Someone who enjoyed basketball, but admitted that he wasn’t the best, therefore he found an unusual way to learn the game and later become a head coach for the Windham Bombers in 1982.
He graduated from Youngstown Ursuline High School, before continuing his education at Youngstown State University with a degree in English. While Chaffee began his coaching career, he also jumped into his teaching career. Chaffee was not only coaching the Bombers, he was also inspiring his athletes in the classroom as well. He eventually moved from the classroom to the administration team where he became principal at Windham.
“The athlete part of my story is really simple, I never played sports in high school. I loved sports, especially basketball, but I wasn't good enough to make the team so I did a lot of watching and analyzing,” said Chaffee.
While at Windham Chaffee recorded 492 victories including a 6 time conference title, 26 sectional championships, 10 district crowns, and 3 regional runner-ups.
After his first three seasons with the Bombers, Chaffee went to coach for Lordstown where he rebuilt a Red Devils squad. After three seasons with Lordstown he returned to the courts at Windham where he coached from 1991-2003, then again from 2006-2014. In 1999, Chaffee would be inducted into Windham’s Hall of Fame.
While at Windham Chaffee also coached track and field for seven years and also served as a head coach for the Red Devils’ softball team for three seasons.
"I was blessed to coach a tremendous amount of gifted and committed athletes at all three schools. I was also honored to work with outstanding and dedicated assistant coaches,” said Chaffee.
He began his journey as a Black Knight in 2017 and served as their head coach until 2020 when the school district closed. There, the team won the Southington District Championship in 2018 and was crowned conference champions three times. His Black Knights fell short to Maplewood, 3-2 in 2019 in the district semifinals game.
Until the Fall of 2023, Chaffee hadn’t been on the sideline. He got back into the sport where he first started, at Windham. Last season Chaffee coached JV, but is ready to get back to the Varsity level.
“I am very excited to return to Cardinal as the Varsity Volleyball Coach,” said Chaffee. Cardinal has a rich and successful tradition in volleyball and I am looking forward to our next chapters.”
A season ago the Huskies showed moments of great volleyball, but fell short in the second round of the tournament, falling to Lake Center Christian. The Huskies will graduate three seniors this May including setter and defensive specialist Morgan Soltis, middle blocker Carissa Loucks, and libero Emma Geesling. They return several underclassmen that made a large impact on the court including outside hitter Ali Puruczky, setter Maddie Ehrhardt, and middle blocker Lizzy Lurcariello.
Late last season the Huskies honored Puruczky and Ehrhardt for 500 kills and assists, respectively. Puruczky saw her numbers double, jumping from 2.4 to 4.0 kills per set while Lucariello was a force to be reckoned with at the net, recording 30 blocks and making it difficult for opposing hitters to get past her. Ehrhardt also saw her numbers increase as she orchestrated the offense as a setter.
“Our goals for the program are to work hard to improve daily, have fun, and be great representatives of our school and community,” said Chaffee.
In 2003, Chaffee was also inducted into the Ohio Volleyball Association Hall of Fame. In order for a coach to be nominated for this honor the coach must have coached the sport for at least 15 years in Ohio. They must coach high school volleyball and have coached in the state of Ohio for a total of 20 years. Lastly, the coach must have been active in the growth of girls’ volleyball in the state. He is also in the record books for all-time wins with a minimum of 450. Chaffee is currently ranked 21st in OHSAA State Records.
Joining Chaffee’s staff will be 2017 Cardinal graduate Madison Bean Marker and Angela Carpenter Kriynovich as the JV and freshman coach respectively. Both pending board approval.
"I believe being part of a team is a special opportunity and I am looking forward to getting started,” said Chaffee. “I am thrilled to be working with all of the coaches in the volleyball program.”
The Huskies open up the season in August and are looking to get back to their winning ways. A team that has not won the Chagrin Valley Conference title since 2018, but the team is hungry and ready to take the program to the next level. They finished 12-12 overall, 4-6 in the CVC, 1-1 in tournament play with a win over Chalker. The team will return six letterwinners for the fall.
Chaffee will also look to take over the youth volleyball program.
“We are very happy to welcome Mr. Chaffee back to our district! He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that our team should be able to thrive in. His background and success speak for itself,” said athletic director Jimmy Soltis.