McLennan hires College's first volleyball coach

McLennan Community College has selected Kyle Anema as the first head volleyball coach in program history.

"I am extremely excited to be given this opportunity to start the volleyball program at McLennan Community College. I want to thank Athletic Director Trochim and President McKown for this opportunity," Anema said. "I'm excited to continue the championship culture already set at McLennan and look forward to bringing MCC volleyball to the Waco community. Go Highlanders!"

Anema comes to McLennan from the United States Naval Academy where he served as assistant coach for the Midshipmen's Fall 2024 campaign. Anema spent the Fall 2023 fall season as an assistant coach at the University of North Alabama, helping lead the Lions to an overall record of 17-12, a tie for fifth place in the ASUN with a of 9-7 conference record, and the program's first ASUN Tournament appearance. The respective victory totals by the Lions in 2023 set program highs for the six seasons the team has competed at the NCAA Division I level.

Anema is a native of La Mirada, California, where he graduated from Valley Christian High School in 2017. He attended Long Beach City College, redshirting the 2017-18 academic year before taking to the court in 2018-19 as a member of the Vikings' men's volleyball team. In 2019, he helped lead the Vikings to a 19-3 record and the California Community College Athletic Association state championship. Individually, Anema led the team in total kills (259) and aces (41), and was named the MVP of the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Tournament.

Anema transferred to Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California, where he became the first NAIA player and sixth across all competition levels to be recognized as a First-Team All-American in each of his four seasons. He was a two-time Conference Player of the Year and set Vanguard's program record with 1,241 career kills. In his four seasons with the Lions, the team posted an overall record of 59-24 and claimed the NAIA National Championship in 2023 with a 20-5 record. Anema was named the MVP of the 2023 NAIA National Championship. Vanguard also compiled a 27-6 Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) record during his career and won a trio of regular season conference championships.

In addition to his stellar indoor career, Anema was named to the 2021 U.S. Collegiate Beach National Team.

Anema began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Balboa Bay Volleyball Club during his collegiate career. He coached with six different teams (four boys, two girls) from 2019-23, guiding two squads to Junior National Gold Medals.

Anema graduated from Vanguard in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, Health, and Human Performance, and is working on a master's degree in leadership studies.

"We are extremely excited to have Kyle Anema join McLennan Athletics. He brings experience and knowledge that we are counting on to help us grow this new program," Athletic Director Shawn Trochim said. "We saw a tremendous amount of interest in the program as we conducted this national search, and I know my search committee and the McLennan Leadership Team are excited and energized with the selection of Coach Anema."