LAKEWOOD, CO – 2022 was a whirlwind for CCU Women's Volleyball Assistant Coach Lydia Bartalo. Fresh off her final season playing volleyball at the University of Denver, she had completed a three- peat of being named to the First Team All-Summit team in Division I Volleyball. A reputation and award cabinet to be proud of, yet that was not even her highest achievement. You may think that she would be talking about her AVCA All-American Award that she received in 2019, but instead, it is the opportunity to lead and develop the next generation of female volleyball players. This special opportunity came on May 20th in 2022, when she was appointed Assistant Coach for the Colorado Christian University Women's Volleyball Team.
 
You may have heard about preparing for life after college, and Bartalo typified this by interviewing for the role while still finishing her degree at the University of Denver. Volleyball was something that would always be a major part of her life, but from a coaching perspective, this was something that came much sooner than expected.
 

Yet it was something that Coach Bartalo could not resist, and the opportunity to see growth and improvement in those she was coaching was the driving factor. "Getting to see others grow and feel that difference is one of the most rewarding things, to see them understand that growth and for me to see it in this wonderful group of women," Bartalo said. 

From this statement alone, it is easy to grasp the personality that Bartalo has used to serve and love on her players throughout her inaugural season as a coach at CCU. These qualities are abundantly clear to her players, fellow coaching staff, and students that know her. One person who has been able to reap all the rewards of working with Bartalo is Graduate Assistant Amanda Snyder. When asked about Bartalo she responded by saying "She is completely others-focused and is constantly trying to find ways to serve others. An absolute dream to work with and beside."
 

While her story and her coaching career has been full of trial and error, it is one that has had major impacts on the people that she has encountered through her college career. CCU has hugely benefited from her desire and willingness to do whatever it takes to serve her team best to develop and improve the next generation of athletes.



Bartalos' story is a brilliant example of how the Lord can lead his people in directions where they can best serve his kingdom, while displaying the gifts that have been given to us.

The Colorado native has almost completed her first full year with the Cougars, and is looking forward to the many seasons of success to come. Her focus is on improving the team through results, but more importantly, her players in the way they grow as people.