Bart Foley named volleyball coach at Edmonds-Woodway

Bart Foley is the new volleyball coach at Edmonds-Woodway High School – replacing Molly Donahue – after spending the last two years at Meadowdale High School in Lynnwood. Before that, he coached volleyball at King’s High School in Shoreline.

“I’m excited for this great opportunity at Edmonds-Woodway,” he said. “I think it has all of the components needed to, over time, build a championship program.” 

At Meadowdale, the Mavericks went a combined 30-13, appearing both seasons in the state tournament. He oversaw all facets of the program, from coaching staff hires to curriculum development.

“I left Meadowdale first thinking I was taking a break from coaching,” said Foley. “It was a period of transition in our family as my youngest daughter, Stella, is heading off to college this fall. At the time I resigned, it looked like she was going to be playing volleyball collegiately.

“Given that she had a couple of offers, I decided to step down at Meadowdale thinking I would be spending the fall watching my daughter play and giving the school ample time to find a great replacement. I loved my time at Meadowdale and am proud of what we accomplished.”

Once his daughter decided not to play in college, Foley reconsidered his options.

“Edmonds-Woodway became an option as (athletic director) Tyler Geving started calling me. He was pretty relentless. Edmonds-Woodway is closer to home for me and feels more like my community. We live closer to the school and called Edmonds home, raising our family in Woodway for many years.” 

“We are excited to have Bart as our next head coach at Edmonds-Woodway,” said Geving. “He is a proven winner and one of the most respected coaches in the state for his excellence as a coach. He brings passion and enthusiasm to our program, which will help grow our team for years to come.”  

The Beacon profiled Foley in October 2022. He left King’s – a private Christian school – after disagreeing with the school’s directives on LGBTQ issues announced in 2019.

 They included teachers signing a statement of faith. Foley was a contract employee and did not teach in the classroom.

From 2008 to 2014, King's distinguished itself as one of the top high school volleyball programs in the state. King's went a combined 259-31 (.880). Foley was again head coach at King's from 2018-2021, where his teams were 58-5 (.914).

Foley helped start All Out Volleyball Club in 2005 and has coached club teams in the Puget Sound Region for 20 years, including stops at Seattle Juniors and Sudden Impact, where he is currently the head coach for Sudden Impact Volleyball Club (15-1 Typhoon) in Bellevue.

Off the court, Foley is vice president and general sales manager at ROOT Sports. A Washington State University graduate, he has a bachelor’s in communications with an emphasis in advertising.